


Digimon Frontier- A Takuya X Kouji Story

by DarceDavis



Category: Digimon Frontier
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Friendship, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 14:11:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8211368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarceDavis/pseuds/DarceDavis
Summary: I forgot that you're supposed to look both ways before you run in the middle of the street. And there are stalkers out there that you're not supposed to listen to if they randomly text you on your phone telling you to meet them somewhere private and alone. And that if you lift both feet off the ground, and twist while in the air, your landing will hurt. Stupid gravity. *Takouji* Follows mostly Takuya's perspective, but some of the later chapters are in the perspective of Kouji. Follows each episode. Spoilers if you have not watched the series!





	1. All Aboard

Today started out great. Just fucking great. I almost got hit by a truck, I was late to the train station, destination; I don't know the fuck where. And now I'm staring at him, like really staring at him. Watching every move he makes, when he plays his fingers through his hair before they disappear into the pocket of his pants, too tight for his thighs to not feel the contact. And then, he pushes his chin out barely an inch in his way of sticking his nose into the air, like he's the only one in the world that matters. And right now, maybe that's true. But someone's obsessed with me too, another text message coming in on my phone. I heard the beep but I didn't look away until he glanced at me. It wasn't suspicious, the way I threw my head down to avoid his gaze, to convince this hot hot-shot kid…. _Shit… one too many hots…_ that I hadn't been checking out the way his jacket clings to his back, or the way his elbows angle to give me the perfect view of his ass. I didn't like guys. I didn't like girls. I didn't like people… except for the ones that liked me… but something told me as his shockingly blue eyes pierced mine in what I could only take as a way of displaying his ever so friendly fury and fuck the world attitude, that mutual disliking would not be a problem. He looked away, though I sensed his movement. He was now glancing at his own phone. So much for my popularity. Did he get a message too?

"Transfer to the 6 o'clock subway from Shibuya Station." It read. Nothing else. No info on who had sent it. I'd played with the idea that my brother could of gotten one of my friends to play this trick, but it was his birthday and most likely his mind would be more occupied with the thoughts of birthday cake and whatever video game console dad, though refusing to buy it for me for my birthday while muttering something about bad grades, had decided to buy him this year.

I looked up at the kid again, but he seemed calm. Must not have been the same message. Scanning, I focused in one of the passenger's watches. 17:54. I have six minutes. Six freaking minutes. He toys with his hair again out of boredom. Yeah. Definitely not the same message. Feeling the tension of the day build up, I stood. I admit, I crave attention easily. But I already had his… so don't ask me why I decided to shout. Just. Don't.

Holding my hands on my ears so I couldn't hear myself, though I forgot that just magnifies your inner thoughts about certain things you didn't want to think about. Like the way his head tilted to the side when trying to figure you out, and the way sweat drips down your forehead as you return the gesture. "C'mon. Give me a break. I'm doing the best I can." I guess I was yelling at God, who seemed the most logical person to complain to given the anonymous situation. So hurry up. Give me my trials and tribulations, preferably predetermined so that I can get back home and sneak some more of Shinya's birthday cake before mom begins to catch on.

I step off the train, heart begging to be released from my rib cage, but I locked it down, taking a deep breath as I looked up at the station's signs. The letters blurred as all I could make out in my anxiousness were dyslexic arrows pointing in indecisive directions. And then he walked by, his jet black hair pulled into a ponytail, each strand a trail to follow. And I did. Telling myself, maybe he knows the right way. But who was I kidding. Any way he went was the right way for me. I was defeated, and tired and if I had to sit on another freaking train leading to God knows where, I might as well be checking out his ass again. Even when he _almost,_ (I take pride in my inner ninja), caught me, he didn't seem to mind. I took off after him, finding him just as he pushed the button to the elevator. The doors had already started to close by the time I started my running, and he seemed to have no intention of holding them for me, even when I called to him, asking him to wait. Knowing I couldn't make it, though I took pride in my speed, I jumped.

Stupid Takuya.

I was forgetting everything today. Like, that you're supposed to look both ways before you run in the middle of the street. And there are stalkers out there that you're not supposed to listen to if they randomly text you on your phone telling you to meet them somewhere private and alone. And that if you lift both feet off the ground, and twist while in the air, your landing will be painful. Stupid gravity.

But he was there. Standing over me. Looking at me with this squint in his eye. My friends had always told me I'm not very good at reading people, but I felt proud of myself right now. I could read him. His expression, painfully obvious that he was trying but failing at reading me. Take that. Takuya, the mind reader. I gave out a sigh as I rubbed my head in pain and frustration. Though a mind reader extraordinaire, I still had no clue if this kid had gotten the same text. "Did you get a message too?" I asked dumbly, biting my lip as I waited for a response. I don't know if turning your back, though I didn't mind the view first time around, counted as a good answer. Seriously? That's all I get from this guy. The cold… well… hot shoulder? My shoulders dropped. I could feel them, the way my gloves pushed the sweat onto my fingers as my knuckles hit the floor. "You could answer me, at least." I had come all this way after all. I resigned, staring at the cloth around his slender neck before I found something of more interest. The buttons on the top of the elevator had been lighting up, one by one, as we dropped down. 1. B1. B2. B3. And then just flashing light on metal. We started falling faster and I couldn't help as I let out another moan. "My destiny's really starting to bite." And then the impact came, I flew up in the air, hitting the side of my head as I made an internal promise to work on my landings. The other boy just stood there though, as though the crash didn't affect him at all. I could only conclude one thing. He must be really fat under those skinny jeans...

Or a ninja.

"It's up to you now." A computerized voice came from inside my phone. "Which one will you choose." In front of me were a bunch of trains, and yes, I made the mistake of looking at each one, including the one on the far left. So far, that I didn't notice as the other kid ran off somewhere to the right, disappearing in the crowd before I could follow. My teachers always told me to plan ahead, and that advice will probably get me just as far as the whole "school" thing in general. Absolutely nowhere.

So plan A, follow emo kid around, a failure. What else is new. I thought that plan B could consist of tracking him down, but there was no time. The final whistle blew as all the train doors slammed shut. I started running, for what the hundredth time today? And jumped on to the one closest to me. Catching my breath as I stood, clutching the railing to prevent me from falling off. There he stood again. On the back of a silver train across from me. One hand on the railing, the other in his pocket as his perfect bandana floated in the wind. I gave my best attempt at a glare, though I hadn't been getting enough practice. Shinya's birthday approaches, and my family is like, Takuya be nice. And that's the end of it because I know if I'm not nice, they might start worrying about me. And if they worry about me, goodbye soccer and hello tutoring sessions. My glare softened as the boy disappeared, a tunnel wall dividing the two separate tracks. Feeling the hot air begin to cool, I opened the door to the train. My car was empty. Great. Maybe I would've preferred getting hit by the truck. Stalker dude, come out, come out wherever you are. Or maybe there are ghosts. Don't ask. Just believe in the power of the dead. And the uh… _un_ dead. I ran, though my legs were beginning to protest, into the next car, finding surprise and relief at the fact that there were three other kids sitting in this one. A smaller boy looking about the size of Shinya, another boy taller than me though hard to tell since he was sitting down, however I could say without a doubt that he was was definitely a fan of McDonalds and the Smurfs in a previous life, (if you believe in that sort a thing. Guess it also depends on whether or not you believe in current life and stuff), and another one who was purple…

Very purple...

Too… purple.

"You here, because of the phone thing?" I asked them, holding up my phone in emphasis. Purple nodded her head before turning to Cheeseburger Man.

"With him here, there's four of us. I wonder if that means something special." Purple said. Something special. What?

"Why'd you guys get on this train?" Purple just _ummed_ so I approached the Smurf Burger. I mean, was it the message?"

The Smurf just raised a brow uninterested as he pointed his chocolate at me like a sword. "This train was the closest to the elevator, okay?" _It all makes sense now_. "Just leave me alone." _Gladly._

I muttered a sorry… there was probably a geez in there too, but you know. Sometimes, things just slip out. I felt a bit bad when Blue, (let's call him Blue, it's a bit less insulting), spoke up again, his voice shaking a bit with each word. "I'm just nervous." He admitted. Sparing him, I turned to Purple.

"Well, there must be a reason you chose this train right?" Before noticing her blonde hair and thinking of several good jokes that could probably apply, not to mention her giggle. Who giggles anymore? What is a giggle? It's like something that takes more energy to produce than either silence or laughter. It's silence and laughter put together. It's just not worth the effort. But there she was giggling, as she gave me the same response as Blue.

Smiling, Blue pushed me out of the way. "Watch this." He ordered before pointing to his lips as he talked. So much for the dumb blonde jokes. Let's just be dumb around the blonde. "Hey honey", he approached her, "want some chocolate." And for the first time that day I felt about ready to puke. But he continued as I swallowed, "My name's JP, what's yours?"

She smiled right back, seemingly unfazed by his attempt of a flirt. "I'm Zoe. It's nice to meet you."

"And I'm." A stutter as I decided if I really wanting these jokers to know who I am, but there was no reason not to share it I guess. We were all stuck in the same position. "I'm Takuya. Hi there." I forgot about the little kid sitting in the corner until another "I'm" echoed softly.

"I'm Tommy but…." He whispered before pulling his knees into his chest as he buried his head into his lap. "I didn't want to get onto this train." That realization is all it took before he started sobbing, telling us his life story in one single sentence. "Two kids" _sob_ "bullies" _sob_ "pushed me on the train and shut the door." He spoke so fast I almost missed it, then without warning, he dropped hold of his knees as he turned to us. Tears accompanied the words as he started crying even harder. "Why are kids always picking on me?" Yeah. That's a tough question. I truly wonder. But I said nothing. Remember Takuya, be nice.

"His eyes are like water faucets." JP stated, and for the first time so far, I thought that maybe we would end up being friends. But Zoe woudn't have it.

"Don't worry Tommy. You're safe now that you're with us."

She had to say that. She just had to assure this little kid that everything was going be fine. That's when it all went to hell. The lights on the train flickered off, my phone started glowing though it didn't look the same. The once plain base was now a dark red, a symbol that resembled an eye in the middle of the screen. It spoke again. _Why did I get this freaking app anyway?_ Telling me that it was my D'Tector. Whatever that means. And welcoming me to the Digital World. What have I gotten myself into?

"Did you guys get that message?" I asked into the car. Met by silence which confirmed what I had already thought. What have we gotten ourselves in to? I heard Tommy laugh and Zoe exclaimed, "What's that?", gaining JP and my attention. "Are they ghosts?" She asked to no one in particular. Shit. Back to the ghost theory. "Or Marshmallows." JP offered. Did I mention I'm starting to like JP? And then he licks his lips as he daydreams. "They'd go great with chocolate." Okay, maybe a little less. I refused to get any closer to the window though, pressing my back against the seat. Then turning as I realized there was a window behind me as well. Thousands of little tiny white things flying in the sky despite the fact they had no wings. They weren't that scary, though it was interesting the way they could push themselves against the glass and practically melt themselves flat, then returning to their snow globe shape. And then I made another mistake. How many is that now? Eh. Stopped counting.

Yeah. I looked down.

To the ground.

Except there wasn't any.

"Calm down Takuya" Zoe ordered, as she must've heard the way my breathing became forced. As you can probably guess… I wasn't a big fan of people… trains… chocolate… and definitely not an advocator for heights. "This must be the train station." Zoe spoke again, and I let out a sigh, followed by another as I realized I hadn't been breathing for the past couple of seconds. And then, of course, to top off this perfectly normal Thursday, the train talked. Told us we were in the middle of a digital village. That's it. I'm dreaming. Wake up Takuya. And then the cute little white things narrowed their red eyes, their grins turning evil as they declared their desire to be friends. JP declined, and Tommy starting crying.

Again.

I reached my hand up to pinch myself, but I stopped short.

"This kid should get a job as a fire hydrant." JP announced. Dammit. My comebacks were never that good. Not even in my dreams. I hadn't had very many nightmares recently though… and when the train started rolling away mumbling something about spirits, I challenged my perception of reality yet again. Zoe and JP called to the train, yelling at it to stop. Tommy just sat there and cried… well actually, I wish he just sat there. He got up, jumping down the tracks as he chased the train, yelling "TAKE ME HOME" with every other step. And I followed him internally pleading the same thing. _Yes. Please take Tommy home._ I caught up to him, falling to the floor as I tackled him before he could get hurt, and then some other strange things ran up and tackled me. One yellow, one white.

I mentioned I play soccer right? I'm not a football guy.

And then I got my spirit. Bokomon, the little white linebacker, looked in his little green book, which unknowingly to us then, contained the basis for numerous lectures we'd have to sit through in the future, and narrowed it down for me. He reads the list, "big, red, likes flame, not Santa Clause..." coming up with, "Agunimon." And you know what that answer answered for me. Absolutely nothing. It just raised more questions. And unlike the ones on my homework, I actually cared if these ones got answered. I mean, I was on fire.

Literally.

I would go into detail about how great my first battle was, and how it felt to turn into a Digimon for the first time. I'd give a rant on how I did everything completely on my own, protecting Tommy and JP and Zoe as they all sat and watched. But you'll hear plenty about that soon enough, cause something tells me this won't be the last time. Simple right. I got my spirit. Makes sense. Train said get your spirit and you can return to the human world. Time to go home, right? No. Time to save the world.

Yours, and ours.


	2. Lobomon: Warrior of Light

KOUJI'S POV

"Kouji Minamoto." The device spoke again, as I stood next to the train. For a second, I thought about getting back on it, but there wasn't much waiting for me at home. "Commence your search." This, whatever _this_ was, sounded a lot more exciting.

"Search? For what?" Nothing strange here. Just talking to a device that used to be a working phone…

and having it talk back.

"The spirit". _How do you know my name_. "Find the spirit, and you will find the answers to all your questions." Not good enough. I'm not taking orders from a one-sided walkie talkie. A puff of smoke came from the train as it warned me of its departure. I couldn't go home. Not now. Everything was just starting to get interesting. "What is this spirit, anyway?" Static. "I mean, how do I know where to look for it?" Louder static before a hologram of globe floated from the screen. It had four triangles in the middle of the sphere, two green and two black opposite of each other. There was a purple dot somewhere in the black area. Was this where I am? The latitude and longitude of the globe were mapped out by gold data strips, recalibrating whenever I twisted the device in my hand. "This is getting weirder by the second."

The train answered. "You said it!" Only confirming that I was right. No real need though, seeing as I'm never wrong. With no other option, I followed the map. I only got a few steps before I heard more steps and echoes. There were furnaces on each side of me, perhaps fueling the train in some way? But when I turned my head I noticed them, an accident waiting to happen. Two kids, running with idiot grins on their faces. I really shouldn't be wandering alone in this place, but if they're my only option, oh well. I might not know why I'm here, but I know it's not to play babysitter.

TAKUYA'S POV

 _How did this even happen?_ Bokomon was playing house while Zoe knelt by the window. Neemon was obviously doing something… or trying to… as I kept hearing crashing noises coming from inside the tree. "Hey." I finally noticed. _Some great big brother I am._ "Where's Tommy?"

Zoe turned to me, "He's with JP, I think." _Great_. We lost him. The window was lifted as Bokomon appeared.

"Maybe They're playing hide and seek?" He suggested, Neemon sticking his own head out the window as he added, "Maybe they got eaten by a bunch of big old bears." I liked Bokomon's guess better, though I wouldn't put money on it. Zoe didn't go for it though, instantly getting worried.

"We better go look for them." I told her, crossing my arms in thought. There was nothing better to do, I guess. We started down the path, Zoe examining the trees as we went by. The grass was green, no flowers. It was like the park I used to play in. All field. All soccer. I ignored any attempts she had to start conversation. I just wasn't in the mood to talk…Still. I was more interested in the ground, only looking up when I heard Bokomon speak to the marshmallow things from yesterday. "Have you seen any human children?" He mused.

They all turned their attention to us, whining their not so comforting answer. "We saw two getting chased into the forest by Pagumon." Neemon's eyes got wide as the marshmallows' turned as to show us the way with their eyes.

"Oh." Neemon sighed, "That's worse than bears." He declared, his yellow ears drooping. Before I had time to ask, Zoe spoke up.

"Pagumon?" Zoe asked.

"Nasty little digimon with bad attitudes." Bokomon didn't even need his book for this one. He just knew they were trouble. And something told me he was probably right.

KOUJI'S POV

"This is getting old." I said to myself, the constant beeping of the virtual map starting to give me a headache. My confusion quickly turned to relief as it blinked off, staying silent as I took in my surroundings. Mostly trees, and then the remains of some building. Ruins. There was an opening in the crumbling wall, a tree wrapping itself around the side as if the only thing keeping it up. Probably safer to stay away from creepy holes in the wall, but I was content doing the opposite of whatever my conscience, never mind common sense, told me to do. I didn't come all this way to play it safe. I took a step closer to the stairs, descending into darkness.

This better not be someone's idea of a joke.

"Anyone here?" I called down into the darkness, quickening my steps as I realized that some of the light form above was shining through. Empty. No answer. I was alone again, I suppose.

Good.

TAKUYA'S POV

I gave myself a few seconds to think, a couple more than my normal reaction time, before doing the only thing that came to mind. Cupping my hands over my mouth, I shouted.

"Tommy!" Zoe called right after, yelling for JP as well.

"Answer me!" She ordered, as I asked the sky where they were.

We kept walking, screaming, until we felt our voices start to crack. "Where could they have gotten off to?" I asked her, sticking my hands in my pockets as she took the lead.

"Poor Tommy, he's such a little guy. He didn't even want to be here in the first place." She reasoned.

"Yeah, you're right." I thought of Shinya, but each memory of him began to show Tommy instead. _Had I forgotten my own brother already?_ "He really shouldn't be out without his parents. I guess I'm just gonna have to keep my eye on him."

Like always.

"Look at you pretending to be all mature. How adorable." She- * _twitch*_ \- _giggled_.

"What do you mean pretending? I'm in the sixth grade!" _Yeah, Takuya. REAL mature._

"Really?" She played with her purple hat before toying with her blonde hair. _It wasn't the same when she did it._ "You're in the same grade as I am. Who would've thought? I was sure you were two or three years younger at least". What… _third_ grade? Gimme a break?

"Wait a minute." She stopped walking, turning to face me. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, though I already knew. Who does she think she is?

"When's you're birthday?" She asked, a coy smile taking over her features. Okay, fine. I can play this game.

"In August." _Confidence._

"Ha." Her thin eyebrows curved in triumph, "I knew it. I am older. I was born in May." Why would I care? "Which makes me a grand total of three months older than you." Ha. She forgot to calculate days, hours, minutes, seco- ewe. Didn't mean for my mind to go there.

Why does this even matter? I'm the one that can "spirit evolve" or whatever, so she can just keep being the vicious bitch whose actions don't affect me. AT. ALL. I unclenched my fists. Yeah. No effect whatsoever. That's why I didn't even bother to respond, telling her that this discovery meant nothing… shit. or did I say that aloud?

"Whatever." She smirked. Definitely said it aloud. She slowed down as we approached a large hole in the ground. I was looking back to the grass when I noticed something a different shade of green.. It had white too. A D'Tector. I picked it up while Zoe tried to grab it from me.

"This belongs to Tommy." Duh. I already knew that, but her "better than me smirk" just grew, disappearing as her foot slipped, making her lose her balance and fall into the hole. I don't know what I would've done if she didn't wrap her arms around my neck, bringing me down with her. Maybe I would tried out a grin, praising comeuppance for half a minute before starting to get worried and figure out a way down. But I didn't have to ponder.

We fell together, hitting the ground, _together._

And she was on top of me, her eyes squinting before opening to look into mine. Her elbow had pushed into my gut, knocking the wind out of me as she started to move. Regaining energy, she lifted us both up, her arms tight around my neck in a hug.

"We're alive. We're alive!" She chanted, rotating my shoulders so we were facing each other again. "I could just kiss you!" _Please don't._ Her eyes got about as wide as mine, maybe wider as her lovestruck expression fell to that of a murderer. She slapped me, twice, (man was she quick), before shoving me back into the pile of leaves and twigs. "Get away from me!" She yelled.

"What?!" She is so infuriating, "girl," as substitute for something else I would've liked to call her, "you were the one that grabbed me in the first place!" Was that a blush on her cheeks? Why do these things always happen to me? She took another step away, dusting herself off before giving me an impatient glare. _You're welcome for breaking your fall. Anytime._ I scratched at my ankles as I stood, thin, soft needles itching at my skin. Were we in some sort of nest? Does that mean there's some sort of giant bird thing flying around? The _girl's_ yelling brought me back though.

"My name is not girl. It's Zoe, and keep your hands to yourself in the future little boy." She ordered. _Who are you calling little boy!?_ I propped myself up again, thinking of a good comeback. I didn't deliver it well though. "So, are all mature girls this crazy?" I broke eye contact after the first word, and the trembles in my voice betrayed me. I couldn't help it, she was just so terrifying. Pagumon, where are you?

"That is so like a child," I can't believe her. She's scolding me now? "Sitting here yapping away while we should be looking for Tommy." _Yeah, who's the one yapping?_ In fear of another slap, I stood up, bowing my head to the Queen before she could yell "off with it", and siding with her.

"Fine, let's go." I kept my distance, tightening my hold around my D'Tector. Just. In. Case.

It wasn't that hard to realize Zoe was just stalling. There was only one way to go in this tunnel anyway, a dark platform with large pipes reaches into the ground and up towards the ceiling. Hmmm. Giant bird that lives in sewer? "After you."

She just stood there, rubbing one foot against the other as she leaned to the side, giving me the perfect walkway to pass her. Hesitantly, I took a step forward, followed by another. Until I was a couple feet in front. That's when we heard their scream.

"It's Tommy and JP." She whined, "We have to help them."

"I know that!" I barked before we both turned away from each other. But we didn't move. We kept our pouts for a while, before our anger turned to fear and we slowly started the venture into the unknown. Our walks turning into runs as we heard JP call out, "Help! Anyone Please!" _I mean, he did say please._ Followed by Tommy screaming a prayer to a… chocolate bar? Nevermind.

I don't want to know.

By the time we got to the dome, connected to five other tunnels,that kid was there. Yeah. The "fuck the world attitude" kid. He was holding Tommy, protectively cradling him in his arms while some giant sludge zombie trudged closer.

"Ewe, it smells!" _Way to stay focused Zoe._

I looked down to my D'Tector. "Spirit, wake up." I hit a couple of buttons, "I need you." JP collapsed beside us, Zoe holding her nose as I ignored the stench. "C'mon", I pleaded, "I'm not kidding here." _But wasn't I?_ I hit a couple more buttons in hope that something… anything would happen.

"Hey, Takuya, no pressure," Great, now Bokomon was the cause of distraction, "But you might want to think about spirit evolving before stinky there turns your friends into goop."

Nada.

The sludge zombie started to mutter something about destruction, like a spell, but before he could finish, I yelled out in rage. "Spirit!" My surroundings disappeared as I was it a pit of darkness, pixels circling my skin as my body changed. The mask of Agunimon was no longer in front of me, it was around me… it was me. I charged at the creature, slamming it against the wall. The impact made it puke, green slime shooting from its mouth. I ran back over to Tommy and the… uh… other guy… and shielded them from the blows.

"Now's your chance." I told them, "Run!" They were the same kind of listeners as I was on a good day.

Bad ones.

They just sat there, Tommy still in the other's embrace as they were both too paralyzed to move. The boy's expression changed as I changed back to normal. _But why?_ Tommy separated, standing on his own as he looked at me with admiration. _Why did I turn back into me?_

Perfect timing too. Raremon rebuilt himself, warning us that he was still there before sending another ball of puke in our direction, intentional this time. I tackled Tommy to avoid the hit- man I'm _really_ NOT a football guy- but I brushed into the other teen, causing him to fall back into ditch which may or may not have a bottom to it. I was wrong. There was nothing good about comeuppance. Kneeling at the top, watching as another person falls to what I thought then was his death…

It didn't feel good.

I think I was able, maybe, to usher an "oh no." But there was nothing I could do. There was always nothing I could do, and it sucked. Tommy struggled in my hold, making me realize I'd have to mourn later. We ran, approaching Zoe and JP who just stood there, confident that Raremon's attack couldn't reach them on their platform. _Works for us._ But we only made it about halfway before we turned by the other's moans of shock. There were beams of light coming from the dome's ceiling, and standing in one, was a new digimon. At the time, I didn't even consider that this digimon could be someone random… that it could be someone I've never even seen before. Somehow, I knew.

It was that guy.

The way his eyes… the wolf's eyes narrowed in determination, the way his arms crossed in annoyance and a high amount of self-worth… and that voice. _You've proved your point._ _Anything I can do. You can do better._

"Man, did I look that cool?" I asked the others, Tommy the only one answering with an eager nod 'yes' and a smile. _Guess not._

"That's the legendary warrior of light, Lobomon." Bokomon informed us. _Great._ Another legendary warrior. Guess they're more common that we thought. Must not take much, I told myself in spite as I watched him gracefully lower himself to the ground, but my inner self rejected the thought. _Obviously doesn't take much, Takuya. YOU were able to do it._

"I've never seen anything more beautiful!" Zoe cried, as something started building up in my stomach, "in my whole entire life." _Jealousy?_ Why was I jealous? If Zoe liked "this guy" that would take her mind off of me. But that fire grew inside me when JP agreed. Not my fault.

Agunimon's.

"You can say that again." I smiled, agreeing defeated with the others, fake smile turning real as it stayed plastered on my face. _Hey. I never said it wasn't true, it's just… yeah._ The sight of this wolf standing before a monster made of sewage, holding a long sword glowing hot blue as he wielded it, giving it a final slash as his wrist made the movement of an artist's brush stroke. _And I used to be a fan of Star Wars._

Raremon cried out in pain, a data code surrounding him as Lobomon claimed it, capturing the spirit in his D'Tector.

"Molto Bravissimo." Zoe exclaimed, clapping her hands together. _Italian?_

Lobomon faded away, his digital code wrapping around himself like a cocoon before the boy appeared again. He was kneeling over, struggling to stay on his hands and knees. I waited for a second before noticing his weak attempt to get up. I ran to him, Tommy by my side, as I offered to help him up to his feet.

"Don't touch me." He growled. Though he was back to human form, his face was still a wolf. Wild, dangerous eyes, cheeks pulled tight as he snarled. "I don't need your help, or anyone else's." _You kinda proved that already._ Tommy and I just waited, staring blankly at him. A few ragged breaths later and he stood. Continuing. "But I guess I should thank you for saving me." _Um, I'm the one that pushed you down a bottomless pit, remember?_ "I always repay my debts." _What's with this kid? Debt?_ Hearing enough, I challenged his assumption.

"I didn't do it so you'd owe me, you know?" Although at this point I didn't even know what it was I did, besides, of course, almost killing him accidentally. Note to self. Also work on clumsiness when working on landings.

"My name's Kouji Minamoto." He turned towards me, and I felt my body go numb. "And you are?" He asked, but I couldn't remember. The only name that meant anything to me at that moment in time, was _Kouji_. "So are you gonna tell me?" He pushed. _Impatient._ Another thing to add to the list of what makes him so compelling to me. "I can't repay you if I don't know your name." _Good point… not really… actually… but I didn't want a fight._

"I'm Takuya Kanbara." I said, feeling myself get defensive shortly after. He rubbed his thumb over his nose with a scoff.

"Takuya, huh?" _So, we're on a first name basis?_ I clenched my fists as he walked away. _What's wrong with that?!_ "See ya." A passive wave as he turned down one of the tunnels. I didn't even notice as JP and Zoe took their place behind me, until I heard JP yawn, hands behind his head as he watched Kouji disappear.

"What's his deal?" He asked me. Like hell, I know.

"C'mon guys." Zoe chirped. "Let's get outta here. This place smells like dead fish." An involuntary sigh. If she was crushing on Kouji, wouldn't she be a bit more interesting in following him, versus walking in the opposite direction and glancing back at me just so amazingly covertly that I almost missed one of the times, that time when her cheeks darkened from cherry to strawberry shade when I decided to meet her gaze in an attempt to get her to stop? So, I didn't like guys. I didn't like girls. I didn't like people… except for the ones that liked me…

But this was just getting ridiculous.


	3. Kumamon Baby, Light My Fire

"If you really want to go home, all you have to do is hop on here." Neemon pointed behind him to a newly stationed train… er… _Trailmon._

"It's that easy?" JP's grin widened.I considered it briefly, but I guess I'll stick around… _I mean, how can Kouji repay his debt if I'm gone? And anyway, watching Bokomon get pissed off was just too much fun._

"A word please." He approached Neemon, pulling him by the red fabric of his pants as he whispered something that any of us could've heard. "What are you trying to do?"

"Ow!" Neemon cried, but Bokomon continued to tug.

"Honestly, if you had a brain you'd be dangerous." He declared as Neemon complained that the material was getting stretched out. This claim only earned him a kick as he fell onto the empty tracks. I felt bad for the little guy, but JP didn't even notice as he turned to me, first genuine smile I've seen on his face, and announced that he was taking this "bad boy" home.

"How 'bout it guys?" I stuck my hands in my pockets as all three of us remained quiet. "You don't really want to stay here, do you?" He asked, picking up on our silence. I turned away from him, hands behind my head as I tried to think of any reason to go home. It's not that there wasn't one… it was just… there were so many reasons to stay here. I could spirit evolve here. What could I do at home? Besides play soccer with a team that never passed to me, and do my best to fail at life in general. "Fine, you dweebs enjoy your little digital freak show!" He huffed, jumping down to the tracks as he began walking away. "C'mon Tommy, let's blow this pop stand." _Dweebs… pop stand? Sure, I might not be thinking clearly since I opted to stay, but what's JP's excuse?_

"Aren't you going with him?" Zoe turned to Tommy, who had his hat lower on his head than usual, covering his eyelashes as it threatened to blind him. _You're giving him a choice?_

"I decided I want to stay here with you." He spoke softly, though his voice carried strong. He seemed sure, but I definitely wasn't.

"I thought you wanted to go home?" Tommy was a short distance ahead of us, Zoe coming to stand by me as she questioned him in surprise.

"Not anymore." But I heard how his voice cracked at the end of his sentence. I placed my hand on his shoulder as I gave him a gentle shove towards the train tracks.

"Go with JP." _That way you'll be safe._ "It's dangerous here, Tommy." _Didn't he know that?_ "Besides, the 3rd grade's a formative year." _Despite what Zoe may believe._ He pushed against me, spitting out a "no" before I pushed him back but harder. "Go home!" He looked at me with sadness in his eyes. "Hurry up now." _It's not that I don't want you here, Tommy. I just want you to be safe._ "Take care of him, JP!" My eyes started to hurt, but I knew how to prevent the rain. _Zoe._ "How about you, huh?"

"I have a name." _Ugh. Back to this?_

"Okay, _Zoe_ , are you leaving?" I didn't mean to sound so hopeful, but hey, if I'm this obvious, Zoe's gotta catch on, right?

"Why?" She teased, putting her hands on her hips, making me lower mine. "Would you miss me?" She smirked. _I guess not._

"I won't be responsible for your safety, you know?" _But thinking about it, with the others gone, who would be responsible for mine?_

"Good one, Romeo." _That was comforting. So we're both gonna end up dead by the end of this adventure?_ "I'll be fine." She crossed her arms across her flat chest, sticking her nose in the air as she looked away to hide her blush.

"This outta be fun." I muttered, my chance to escape this unfortunate fate disappearing as Trailmon's departure began. A loud whistle and a puff of smoke, it rolled down the tracks and out of sight in just a few seconds. We followed it with our eyes. I don't think any of us; Bokomon, Neemon, Zoe or I waved a goodbye. I could sense it. We were all saddened, though I personally wasn't that upset to see JP off, by the thought that we might never see them again. So what it's only been a few days? We've never left each other's side, (except for the Pagumon incident). It felt like I was losing a part of me. And for a moment, I thought that maybe I had just lost the only part of me that I actually liked.

Making friends is difficult for me. Always has been. That was the first lesson I learned in this game called life. That, and that mothers have this uncanny ability to know what you're thinking about, (naturally, I stopped). But with friends, I always knew that they were special, so why do I always let them fade away into the haze of my memory, just like now how the train rolls through the fog, creating images in our past tainted by the dust that always comes no matter how hard you try to rid of it. But it wasn't dust that came back this time. Footsteps. Two pairs. Tommy!.. _and_ _JP._ "Hey" I called to them. "What are you doing here?!"

"To be honest," JP scratched the back of his head as his right eye squinted in attempt to think up a good lie, though he ended up settling for, "I have absolutely no idea." Tommy just laughed before scratching his own head, offering a "me neither" as he nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm not gonna be responsible for your safety. You're on your own." Zoe stood sternly, hands on hips again as she pursed her lips in authority. _Wait a minute…_ Bokomon and Neemon shared a laugh as they mistook my fury for confusion.

"Are you mocking me!?" I challenged, "You are, aren't you!" I accused, knowing she wouldn't be brave enough to admit it. "Man, you try and be nice to a girl." I ranted. _If at first you don't succeed…_

_Aw, fuck it. Zoe, you better watch out._

"Uh- I hope you're planning on helping us, Mr. Takuya." Bokomon struggled to keep up with my strides as the hands I had resting on my head moved towards my ears. I didn't answer, wishing the day hadn't been as hot as it was. The sun was just beginning to set, sweet scented winds concealing us as we continued down the tracks. But the air was warm, and I was tired. Bokomon pointed to me, silently scolding me for avoiding his gaze. "You carry with you the spirit of Agunimon. One of the ten legendary warriors." _Ten? Did he mention this before?_ "You can defeat… _breath..._ the digimon… _breath…_ turned evil… _breath…_ by Cherubimon." _Someone was out of shape._ He tucked his head as I saw a slight shiver, crossing his arms as he kept walking calmly beside me. But this action was just the calm before the storm.

He jumped onto both feet, waddling back and forth as his arms flailed in the wind. "Only you have the power to save us!" _What about Lobomon?_ "You must help us repair the parts of the digital world that had been destroyed!" Sweat was beginning to drip from his forehead as he continued throwing his body into the air in neurotic movements.

"I think you need to calm down, buddy." I suggested, turning back to the others who were continuing down the tracks up ahead. Hearing Bokomon's lecture as it turned more into a "yell at Takuya" talk, they turned back to us with curiosity.

"My name's Bokomon and I'm not your buddy. I DON'T THINK YOU QUITE UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION HERE!" _Still more jumping jacks._ His ministrations didn't stop until JP and Zoe let out a loud sigh. "Sorry, didn't mean to yell." He admits, wasting no time before he continued with slightly less volume, "but we need the data from the fractal code. It's the only way to rebuild the digital world." I knew he was right, remembering how the data I had collected from my first fight with that dog thing… _Ah right! Cerberumon…_ had been able to restore an entire forest, but how many more forests were there to fix? Even though I have Agunimon's strength, do I, as Takuya, have the power to save anyone? I lost Tommy and JP, Zoe and I both fell into a ditch, I pushed Kouji to his death… and that's not even included the countless feats I've had back at home.

But Bokomon knelt beside me now, eyes beginning to pour as his hands clasped each other in prayer. "Please, help us get the fractal code back. Save our world before it's too late. Will you?" And about as quickly as they started, the waterworks came to an end, Bokomon turning to Neemon in frustration, pogoing once again. _Just minus the pogo stick_. "Don't just stand there like a cheap TV antenna…" _There are TVs here?_ "I need your help. Say something!"

"Some…

Thing…"

I smiled, a laugh escaping as Bokomon walked away from me. All I heard was elastic recoil, hitting Neemon's stomach as he cried out in pain.

"Are you really that dense or do you just do that to annoy me?" Bokomon asked before hitting him again. I heard his inhale, the preparation he needed to begin yelling again, but my D'Tector cut it short.

"Attention." Well, I guess it was all of our D'Tectors. The image of the eye appeared on the screen as it spoke, all of our devices sharing the same voice. "Go to the forest terminal, immediately."

"What's a forest terminal?" I asked the air, hoping that perhaps Bokomon would know.

"What is a forest terminal?" Instead, Tommy, Zoe, and JP just repeated my question. _Yeah. That's helpful._

"How am I supposed to find it?" I asked the device, figuring I had more luck of that giving me something plausible. The screen got bright before it started to dim. "C'mon, answer me." I pleaded, hitting some buttons in random order. No use.

Out came Bokomon's little green book. "The forest terminal is a station located deep within the realm of the forest kingdom. We just follow the tracks, they'll take us right to it."

"How far do we have to follow them?" A good question, coming from… _surprisingly,_ Neemon.

"Well let's see, it says…" _Hurry up._ "It says…" _Oh boy._ Bokomon grunts in exasperation before muttering an, "all the way." I've had about enough of this.

"You're just full of useless information aren't you?" I asked him before storming off. I didn't worry about the dirty looks I got from the others. I didn't have to. There was no other way to go, so they had to follow me regardless. Zoe competitively passed me, Tommy beside her as they started a conversation. Out of boredom, I turned to JP. "What made you change your mind about going home?" I asked him.

"Well I really didn't have much going on back there anyway and I thought it might be kinda fun to hang out with you guys and get to know you a little better." _Yeah right._

"Get to know Zoe you mean." _Phew, I'm saved._

"Hey. That is not what I meant!" He tried, but I wouldn't have it.

"Then why are you all red, buddy?" I teased, pointing to his cheeks that only darkened in response.

"It's hot out, I'm sunburned." _Good one. "_ What grade are you in anyway." _Random, but okay…_

"Sixth, is that a problem?" I quirked a brow as he stuck his chest out in triumph.

"Well I'm in seventh grade!" _Hmm._ _Did I sound this stupid when I was arguing with Zoe?_

"Like I'm supposed to care." I sighed. _Deja vu._

"Like I care if you care." _Then why did you say it? "_ I should've bolted from this digi-dump when I had a chance."

_Yeah. Maybe._

But if we had left, we would've never seen Tommy turn into Kumamon, the small polar bear standing before me with a twinkle of excitement in his eye. He had saved me. _I'm glad he decided to stay._ His hand was in mine as we helped each other balance, supporting each other as we got back on our feet. Time for the results.

"Well, I guess this proves they really are the legendary warriors." One of the Candlemon proposed.

"Yes, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself." The leader of the tribe agreed. _How do we end up in these situations?_ At least we don't have to fight anymore. Our energy was gone, both of us turning back into our human forms, keeping close to each other just in case they tried to provide another test of our strength. "You have indeed proven yourselves worthy of carrying the spirits of the legendary warriors my young human friends." _Oh, we're friends now?_ "Takuya and little Tommy," Tommy gave me a thumbs up, "You two have truly honored the great names of Agunimon and Kumamon. I salute you both." _Means so much._ "I'm afraid I owe you all an apology." _You think?!_ "The truth is, we thought you might possess the spirits of the legendary warriors, but we still had to make sure." _That makes it all okay then. NOT._ "I'm sorry that we didn't trust you." _Me too._

"So then all of this has been a test?" Tommy asked.

"That pretty much stinks!" I added, my hands clenching to fists. I couldn't help myself. "You're lucky I don't pinch your lights out for that!" The elder Candlemon just scratched his head, his mustache framing his mouth as his eyes averted my gaze. He faked a laugh, the other Candlemon joining in as he gave one last bashful apology. "I'm so sorry. You have every right to be angry." _Good, 'cause I am._

"Fractal code render." My D'Tector. Without warning another digital code, scratches of different colors within the translucent strip, consumed my arm before reaching up and away. I think we all "Aw'd" at the beauty of this virtual string reaching up into the air before forming a bridge to connect the plateaus. _Rather, the perfect walkway for us to get the hell out of this village._

"Oh, Wizardmon had the code." Bokomon realized, letting his guard down now that he knew we had already gotten more than we had hoped for. _That's convenient._ I examined the bridge above us as it darknened, showing that it was completely restored. Then, something catching my eye, I looked past it. This was the first time I had noticed the night sky. There were three large spheres of energy illuminating light; green, orange, and… purple. Were they other worlds? Like this one?

"Wizardmon held within him the fractal code for the bridge, which protected our village from evil digimon." The elder Candlemon announced. _Wait… so we just destroyed… your friend?_ "Young Takuya," _huh?_ "For many years, no has crossed this canyon, but you have my official permission to use this bridge." _Like we were gonna ask. But hey, having your permission might spare us from the hot candle wax you threw on me a little bit ago._ "Follow the tracks and they will lead you to the forest terminal," _Sounds great! Let's go guys._ "But it is a perilous journey." He warned. _Why does that not surprise me?_

"Maybe we should think about this guys. There's still time to go home." JP reasoned. Zoe _giggled_ at this.

"You're just jealous because Tommy found his inner digimon and you haven't yet." _Ouch. That's gotta hurt._

"Why would I care about that?" He bluffed. "Shorty can have it. It's just that being here is like working."

"And we all know how you feel about that." I teased, giving him a playful smile as the others started laughing. I looked to the sky again, watching as a light shot from one side of the mountain to the other, wheels skidding along and the occasional whistle echoing from the distance.

"Hey!" I called for the other's attention, "someone just beat us across the bridge." I wonder if _he_ is going to the forest terminal too.


	4. Kazemon Kicks It

TAKUYA'S POV

I would guess it was about noon, the way my stomach growled and churned in pain. I didn't say anything though as I let Zoe lead us down the tracks. Was there no other means of transportation? _Besides the many Trailmon that always seem to leave right before we get the chance._

"So guys, are we there yet?" JP asked.

"Hmm, let's see. What's wrong with this picture?" I asked, watching as Tommy's shoulders hung in fatigue. "Desert looking wasteland. Forest terminal." With a roll of my eyes I weighed both options in each hand. "I'd say no."

"I'm tired. Let's take a rest." Tommy moaned as he stopped walking. I was behind him though, cruelly placing my hands on his shoulder as I steered him forward. "But there's a scenic tunneling up ahead." I argued playfully, walking beside him to keep him company. "You know JP, if you hadn't fed chocolate to that Trailmon, we'd be riding in air conditioned comfort right now." _You definitely have an eating problem._ To make things more interesting, I started balancing on the railing… well, attempting to as my arms lifted in the process of me falling over numerous times.

"So he made a mistake. What are you gonna do? Take away his bowling shoes?" Zoe protested. _Hmm. Could that comment be a side effect of heat stroke?_

"Hey, hey," _Stop yelling at me Zoe,_ "It's a…" _what's it called again… oh yeah,_ "a Trailmon!" I turned away from the group, eyes wide as the pink digimon approached. From a distance, it looked like a sleeping mole… um, up close too. "Hey!" I yelled again, hoping it would slow instead of running me over.

"Finally." Zoe whined.

"Hey Trailmon, what's up?" I asked quickly, hoping he wasn't like the last Trailmon who would leave us all in the dirt if he sensed even the tiniest bit of attitude problems. "Can you take us to the forest terminal?" _Shoot. I forgot "please"._ His cargo must've been heavy 'cause he rolled off to one side of the tracks before slamming back down to the other. _At least I'm not the only one with balance issues._

"Oh, I overate at my last stop." _So did JP._ "Besides, I'm a freight train." Another wobble. "No riders, no exceptions." _You've gotta be kidding me._ I watched as Zoe snuck up on it, clinging to the pink metal as she bragged about her weight.

"I'm as light as bubble wrap!" She insisted.

"Think of us as cargo!" I joined in, the rest of us finding their own section to hold on to. I was impressed. Purple just had a _good_ idea. No… actually… It was a fuckin' great idea! That is, until the trailmon discussed his disorder involving light touches and tickling. We all fell to the ground, patches of dust flying up, as Trailmon took down the tracks while laughing and convulsing in strange rhythms.

"I'd like to bend the rules, but I'm just way too ticklish!" He apologized, "Sorry kids. Keep on these tracks, you'll get there." _Sure. No prob- ow._ I sat up as I rubbed the back of my neck. _Dammit. My landings still suck._

"So much for getting their soon," I moaned in pain.

"COME BACK HERE!" Zoe yelled. _I guess someone is out of good ideas._ "Trailmon!" She wailed. _Guess it's back to walking._

"Oh!" _What is he doing now?_ Bokomon clung to the track's switch, wrestling it back and forth. "Well the track splits here," he tried to keep his composure as he swung. "Which way to go? Left or right?" He chanted as the tracks kept curving, changing direction up ahead. _Bokomon, can't you just admit you're having fun?_ "Right or left or… up or down… on or off… fast or slow… time to make a decision" This performance continued before he finally slid down the pole in nausea. "I made myself sick." He groaned.

Trusting my instincts I pointed to the tracks on the right. "This way."

Immediately, Zoe's finger was up, pointing in opposite direction. "That way." _Typical. Get over yourself!_

"You're wrong!" I shouted, not realizing how close my face was to hers until she turned.

"Why? Just 'cause I disagree with you." Her eyebrows curved unhappily down as her protruding finger waved beneath my nose. _Better be careful. A shark's gotta bite sometime._ "Don't you think the forest terminal might be surrounded by trees?" She shrieked, the high pitch echoing in my ears. _Shit. How did I not notice the trees?_ But being as stubborn as I was, I just folded my arms, coming up with the best excuse I could find.

"Trailmon said stay on this track and your way curves left!" Of course I bothered to listen to someone else _this_ time. "You think you know everything!" _But. You. Don't._

"Well I'm right!" She leaned her forehead closer to mine as her shoulders raised in anguish.

"So you want to go right?!" I tried, but she didn't fall for it. _Her blonde hair is misleading._

"No. I'm going the way that makes sense!" And with that she muttered a "later" as she took off. I let my arms compliment my march.

"See ya!" _You'd think that being someone that has avoided death so many times, that my instincts would be at least a little bit more trustworthy._

"Hey," I was starting to really love this kid, "Wait up, Takuya!" Tommy hurried to catch up to me.

"We should stick together!" JP warned before following Zoe. Bokomon and Neemon must've gone their way too 'cause when I glanced behind me, _not that I was having second thoughts or anything_ , I noticed that Tommy was the only one there.

KOUJI'S POV

"That is one humongous tree." The girl said.

"That means this must be the forest terminal." Jumpsuit deducted. _Wishful thinking._ I looked down the path, shifting my knee off my lap as I sat up, uncrossed, and hunched over. _Where were the other two?_

"This is Breezy Village." The small white digimon announced. _What? They couldn't read the sign for themselves?_ _そよかぜ風村。_

"Welcome tourists." I interjected, looking away as they looked in my direction. "So this isn't it." I told them, leaving the un-replicable comfort of the bench as I stood, hands in my pockets, elbows back and out of the way.

"You're right, it's not." The white digimon spoke again. Then the girl took a step forward. I could already tell she was annoying. The way she giggled when she spoke a simple sentence, such as my name.

"Hey Kouji." _Though I can't recall giving her permission to use it._ Why weren't Takuya and the other kid running around? "What's up?"

I jumped down from the platform, ignoring the way my ponytail whipped along my back as I landed. I wasted no time before following the tracks away from this village. _They must be lagging behind._

"Where are you going?" She pestered.

"Where I go is none of your business. Thanks for asking." I informed. She was easy to mess with. _Too easy._

"You're so antisocial!" She called to me. No. I'm just Anti-you. "Why do I try to like a guy that acts like that?" I heard her mumble to JP. _Please, don't do me any favors._

"He reminds me of white chocolate." Her boyfriend added, "It looks good but it has no taste." _Fantasizing about eating me, huh? What a weirdo._

TAKUYA'S POV

"Should we find a gas station and ask for directions?" Tommy asked, his voice worn out as he dragged his feet beaten.

"No way." I had planned on questioning his thought process, but it was just so damn hot.

"What do we do?" He whined. _Turn around?_

"Keep walking." I ordered, keeping up this charade. "Something's bound to…" _CRACK._ Beneath my foot the ground began to crumble into pixels of sand, floating into the quiet sky before disintegrating completely. _The ground is falling! The ground is falling!_

"Tommy, run!" I ordered, and he didn't respond this time. He didn't whine about the endless journey, or complain about how much his feet hurt. He just ran, using the energy he didn't have to escape this uncertain death. And I was right beside him, hearing my breath hitch as the beating of my heart became painful. "I don't know what's happening, but just keep moving!" I could've ran faster, but I would never leave Tommy behind. He tripped over himself, falling to the ground. And I was there, next to him, screaming in terror as the digital world threatened to erase us too. But it didn't. We sat there, him on his knees and me on my side, as the shock refused to leave our bodies. Bouts of momentum caused our teeth to clatter, our joints shaking in nervousness as we contemplated our next move.

Behind us, where we were just moments ago, were pieces of earth, like flowers, growing up from the soil towards the sun. The tracks were far past broken, reaching down into the destruction, though they still ran across some of the broken land. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, as the small continental remains finally drifted apart.

"Tommy, move slowly." I couldn't help the way my jaw stopped working, my words sounding with more fear than I had ever intended to reveal in front of the kid. He clings to me as he scoots himself away from the fall as I ran my hand over his back in a circular motion. "Now might be a good time to find that gas station, little buddy." I told him, wrapping both arms around him protectively. He didn't appreciate my attempt to lighten the mood as he screamed in terror and relief, tears flooding from his underage eyes. _Oh god, Tommy. I'm sorry._

" I think we went the wrong way, so let's stay calm." _Calm. CALM? Why did I use the word calm?_ It just made him sob louder, mouth wide as he wept. _I haven't seen him like this for days. Way to go Takuya._

"If this is your calm, I don't want to hear upset." I tried to ease him again, but my little buddy was gone. Kumamon and Tommy, both vanished. In front of me, was a horrified nine year old boy who couldn't control his emotions even if he had tried. _Though he truly wasn't._

KOUJI'S POV

 _C'mon, where are they?_ I kept my pace, looking up at the branches every other step. I felt like something was nearby. _It couldn't be them. They couldn't stay this quiet to save their lives._ Static started to ring from my pocket, the device tickling the skin on my thumb as I gripped it, pulling it out. It sounded like the cackle of a ghost, or a really rotten baby monitor with horrid reception.

"Is it a spirit?" I asked, keeping my composure as I heard a voice respond. But it wasn't responding to me. Who's voice? No. _Voices._ Shielded by the trees. _I was always good at hide and seek, able to find my prey before they found me._ Trusting my childhood, I risked a step closer. And another. And another. Until I found myself darting from trunk to trunk within the shadows cast down from the treetops. _Close enough._

"Ha! Those strangers are in the village, aye?" "That's trouble." "Children, huh? You think those whiny wallflowers called them in to help?" "Who cares? No one can stop the mushroommon brothers!" "We'll get 'em!" "Right!"

_I don't understand. What made us such prime targets? Most of these digimon don't even know about us… about Takuya, and the strength I have inherited from the legendary warriors. What does it mean to them, us being human? Why did it have to equal war? Why couldn't we fit in? Why couldn't we ever fit in?_

I ran, pushing off the trunk with my shoulder as I retraced my steps careful to avoid snapping twigs as I raced. _So much for going solo. As much as I hate it, we're gonna have to stick together._ But my decision was futile. The battle had already begun.

"Hey, cut it out!" I tried to get the monsters attention, but it still swung its arm at the girl. She jumped out of the way, only to fall to the ground again. The idiot superhero equipped himself with a shovel in order to protect his beloved damsel in distress, charging at the giant tree, aiming between the digimon's gap for a mouth and large blue eyes.

"No!" I forced it out of my lips, but it still came too late. The shovel broke against its skin, the tree retaliating with its arm as the branch connected with the rescuer's face, sending him tumbling to the unforgiving ground. He hit his chin, the rest of his body sinking to the ground as his position made clear he was not capable of getting up.

 _I could do this. I've been practicing._ I help up my D'Tector as a virtual field silently surrounded me. Though I was no longer me. I was Lobomon, holding my sword and preparing to strike. Finally I got the tree monster's attention.

"LoboKendo!" I shouted as I struck the air with precision. I charged, more successful that the other knight's swing, whose extra-large jumpsuit didn't quite make up for the fact he lacked shining armor. I dodged the tree's counter, jumping over its arm as I made a gentle slash in his forehead. I could see the confidence in his narrow orbs as the blue shined with superiority. He offered me a laugh. _Did he think I was through?_

"Was that a love tap?" He asked. _What a fool._

"Howling Laser." I aimed my fist, eager to shut him up. _Who once said we should save the trees?_ Bull's-eye. My aim was perfect, _as to be expected._ The laser entered the cut from before while exiting the back of its head. Both wounds grew as the bullet of energy passed, fading before it could hurt the other humans that were still regaining themselves in the background.

"Obviously, you've been taken over by evil." I said, as I readied my D'Tector. "Shadow creature, be purified by the light!" I jumped into the air, holding my D'Tector up as it ate a part of the monsters code. _Woodmon?_ "Farewell, Woodmon!" _For good._ "Fractal code, digitize!" It was over. Just another training exercise. _But why did I feel so tired?_ I had been prepared, spending the last few days strengthening my attacks as well as Lobomon's. Why do I feel so weak after such a mediocre fight?

I fell to my knees after returning to my human form, looking up at the mushroommon that now shared my position. Their purple gloves gripped the dirt as they took in their surroundings in innocence and confusion.

They were so disoriented. And so was I.

"Kouji." I think the girl spoke my name again. Telling them was a mistake.

"Is that all there is to it?" The boy asked. _Fuck you. What the hell would you know about what it takes? It takes focus, dedication, will. But now you think it's easy. You think it's something you could do? I'd like to see you try._ "That's it?" He asked again. _No. That's not it. That's never it. There's pain, the way this strange new blood seems to agonize your body all through the night. How you can't sleep because you pick up on danger you would've never noticed before. It's not just fun in games. It's a struggle to keep it up. It's a struggle to keep pretending that you can keep pretending, and a hell of a lot of work to ensure your acting lands you a star quality role and that you don't fucking die._ My D'Tector beeped as I laid it on the ground. _Not again._ I pushed a button to shut it up. I just didn't want to hear anything else anymore. I needed myself, my thoughts. It powered off after rendering another fractal code, the barren ground covering with short green grass so overpopulated that it felt like moss under my fingertips.

"Breezy village's fractal code is returning." The white digimon announced. _Thank you, Captain Obvious._ A bunch of flower digimon stood before their village, a branch serving as a stairway as it led up to the giant oak tree that they called home. The wood was growing around numerous small houses, holding them in place as well as the community itself. Bushes of leaves appeared, sticking to the sap as it provided a nice bit of shade. _Back to normal?_ I struggled to cool down, ignoring the sweat and light headedness I felt from my lack of eating. _Water._

"They're all pretty happy thanks to you." The girl smiled at me. _I need water._ She offered me her hand, but what message would that give? I had come so far from when I used to attack myself because it was easier than defending. I hated myself then, and now I just hate any and all that try to force me to go back. I won't go back to the way I used to be. I don't need anyone else, _especially not someone as pathetic as you_. I stood up, turning away from her moments later. My hands dug themselves into my pockets as I ignored the blisters on my palm from the clutching the sword. "You know Kouji, you could try being friendly." _Been there. Done that._

_It wasn't nearly as much fun._

TAKUYA'S POV

"I don't care what that Kouji thinks. We made a great team." _Did she say Kouji?_

"We have returned!" I announced, looking around for him. My eyes only fell on JP as we ran right past him.

"You guys blew it. Where were you two?" She asked us. I just scratched the back of my head, hoping Tommy would realize my pride would never let me admit what had happened today, and that he wouldn't seek revenge by embarrassing me himself.

"That's quite a story…" I paused as I felt Tommy's sweaty hand on the back of my shirt as he pushed against me to support himself. _No need to worry I guess. Poor kid's outta breath._ "After a while we thought you might need us, so we decided to check back in."

"No. You made a wrong turn and missed a once in a lifetime show." _Psh. As if._

"Yeah right. Don't try to psych us out Zoe. You know we didn't miss a thing." I accused, Tommy's hand still clutching my shirt tight as he tugged in time with his raspy inhales.

"Well you didn't get to see me spirit evolve." She had this stupid grin on her face. I didn't pay attention to it until the pressure from Tommy's hand was removed as he stood, shocked as I was, hands bonelessly plastered to our thighs. She stood before us, hands on her hips as she stuck her belly button out in conceit.

"Wait, you did what?" _That must've been it. I heard her wrong._

"You spirit evolved?" It didn't take a genius to tell Tommy was about as skeptical as me. I looked down to him, his expression making me laugh as he too joined in. I rested my hands on my hat as Tommy hands loosely reached for his chest as he tried again to steady his breathing.

"Yeah right!" Slipped through one of my laughs.

"Like you could!" Tommy giggled. _The way he did it was kinda cute._

"You really thought we'd believe that?" _You thought we were that gullible?_

"I've had it with you guys!" _Oh shit._ I tried to stop my laughing, but it was no use. "You run off and then you don't think that a girl like me could spirit evolve?" We both heard her stomps as she approached, but we couldn't move. "I'll have both your heads!" The hysterics immobilized us, so we stood, body gyrating so hard it almost hurt, as she placed her arms around both of our necks, squeezing until we started to squirm. "I did it! I did it! And there was nothing funny about it, twit." She growled into our ears, tightening her hold.

"Okay, okay! Uncle. UNCLE!" I surrender. _White flag._ Just get the hell off me.

_And please for the love of god, buy some deodorant._


	5. Ladies and Gentlemen- The Beetlemon

_Walking. Again._ It's a miracle I don't have blisters all over my toes, and where the heel of my shoes is beginning to cut off circulation. I guess my egos not the only thing that's been growing while we've been away. Currently, we had a beautiful view of a lake, green terrain guiding the water flow as it glistened under the cerulean heat. The hills surrounding the area were very forested, large trees tilted on the slanted earth. _Is that still a part of Breezy Village? How far have we made it since yesterday?_

There were large rock columns built across the stream, supporting a set of train tracks, similar to the ones we were on, though the one in the distance seemed to reach across thin air. Our buddy from yesterday, the one with a tickling fetish, started across the bridge. He was still laughing. At first I thought that maybe our touch had affected him that much. But with the sun scorching our skin, I decided he must've been laughing _at_ us. We all stared at it, envy in our eyes, as Neemon impersonated a trailmon whistle.

Apparently, the wind didn't like it, as it picked up, harshly sending dust from the ground up into our faces. I tried to pull my hat down to cover my eyes, but like always my goggles stubbornly held it in place.

"Hey cool! My ears are full of sand!" Neemon announced, _and hearing that, I kind of wished my ears were too._ But I didn't say anything. I didn't have to. Bokomon was the one to speak up, agreeing with him before muttering something else about how Neemon's brain was full of rocks.

"Wow, I haven't been in a wind this strong since… well... ever." Tommy stopped talking as a few speckles of sand landed on his tongue. The wind started to die down as I comprehended his statement. _I guess that's sorta a long time._ There was another trailmon whistle. _Neemon's getting better._ I looked up as the dust swayed back to the ground.

_Not Neemon…_

_…_

_…_

_NOT NEEMON!_

I screamed along with others as the train almost hit us; me, JP and Zoe.

"That was close." JP pointed out. _No… really?_ I mentally whined.

"Why do things in the digital world always come out of nowhere?" I asked, one of the rare occasions in which I would've been okay with being ignored. Instead, Bokomon scrutinized me.

"What do you mean nowhere?" He pushed. "We're walking along train tracks."

"So?" _I felt a pout coming on._

"So," _no… it's a headache,_ "Where there are tracks there's a train, it's sorta like the whole smoke/fire thing." He explained. _He didn't really thing I was that stupid, did he?_

"Wow, awesome!" I heard Tommy cheer. _No way was he that excited over a metaphor._

"Welcome to Wind Factory Incorporated!" Bokomon said.

"Wind Factory Incorporated?" Zoe repeated. _Congratulations, you can memorize a three word sentence._

"A divison of Mother Nature Enterprises _,"_ Neemon added. _What was all the fuss?_ I looked up, finally satisfied that my eyes would not burn upon doing so. The tracks led into large iron doors, left open at a weird angle. They were sticking out of a large rock base, a sign above the doors that read, "Wind Factory Corporation." My gaze returned to the doors as I saw some digimon march past, chanting "one, two, three, four," over and over again.

"Hey, some digimon." I pointed, just in case the others had yet to notice.

"Kokuwamon." Bokomon corrected, "machine digimon. When they feel threatened they let out a million vault electrical charge. Their special attack is power surge." Bokomon closed the book as he observed their line. One fell over, and that's all it took, the rest of them hitting the ground like dominos, but Bokomon showed no concern for this. None of us did. We were too occupied thinking of other things. _Particularly, our stomachs._ "Well, if there are that many digimon around then there must be some food around here somewhere." He decided, placing his hand on his stomach as it growled in time with the rest of ours.

"Alright!" I started running again, ignoring the tension in my ankles. "Let's have us a feast!" But no one else seemed to be following my lead. JP skulked behind us, barely lifting his feet as he walked.

"But Takuya, hold on." He called to me so I slowed, turning around and walking back to where I was seconds before. He held out his hand, but I had no idea why. I didn't take it. I didn't even look at it. I looked to his face, the baby fat in his cheeks pale as they drooped down the side of his face.

"Listen Taky," _Where did that nickname come from?_ "As long as you're heading out to get some food, would you mind bringing me an order to go with extra everything?" He pleaded, seriousness in his tone. _You're kidding right? I'm not heading out, I'm walking forward in a straight line to reach a building that it practically ten steps away. You lazy son of a…_

"I'm not the Pizzamon." _I wonder if those exist… or the roomservicemon… though they'd have to be able to deliver without the whole 'room' requirement thing._ "It's every tummy for itself!" I called before making it past the iron doors. "Last one to fill their plate is a rotten egg!" The doors cast a nice shadow as we took a moment to cool off. Once we stepped out of the shade, the trouble began. Sirens blared as we stood, looking at each other like idiots, unable to move. Something swung from the ceiling before disappearing, another something falling from the sky as it hung from its web. It was like a bug, resting on a nested cocoon, perched and ready to learn how to fly.

"Warning! Warning! Warning from Minomon!" _Minomon?_

"Hello there." Neemon greeted as Tommy also offered a smile. Bokomon just stood, both of his tiny hands on either side of his book as he hummed in interest.

"Are you not listening to me!?" The thing screeched again, matching the ear piercing pitch of the sirens. _How could we possible NOT listen to you?_ "I said, warning. WARNING!"

"They're larva digimon." Bokomon announced, his body convulsing slightly in disgust.

"Warning, no trespassers allowed in the wind factory." _Man, I wish my parents would've given me as many warnings. I would've avoided any and all punishment._ "No entry, leave now, go home, STOP!" _Geez, this is getting annoying_. "If you don't obey our warning we will commence our fierce attack." _What are you gonna do, turn into butterflies?_ I looked at Zoe as she stared wide eyed at the digimon as another two dropped from the sky, her jaw following suit. _I am soooo glad I didn't say that one out loud._

"You have now been warned. Stop. What we're trying to say is, GET OUT!" They all yelled. I stepped back as JP rested his hands on my shoulders.

"Now would be a really good time for me," _No way, did he have a plan?_ I gave him a _hmm_ urging him to continue. "To wait in the car if we had one." _What did I really expect? Something not unbelievable stupid?_

"Boys." Zoe rolled her eyes as she took a step closer to the bugs. I guess it makes sense why they listened to her. _Insects have to have respect for one another, since no other living creature does._ "Excuse me," She approached, "We just want a tour of the factory." She lied. JP gave her a worried look before requesting the first stop to be the exit.

"Then come on down!" They cheered, throwing their arms in the air as Zoe gave him a cheesy smile.

Inside the building were large glass walls, tinted a metallic hue so that we had to press are noses on to the glass in order to see through. Square lights were attached to the ceiling, leading the way down the hall. The room was air conditioned, providing a nice temperature change from the desert scenery. Enjoying the chill along our peeling, sunburnt skin, we tried out our tongues, trying to moisten our mouths again as we shouted nothings like "wow", and "cool."

"Hey, look at that!" Someone cheered, it may have been me, but there were too many voices to figure out which. We all ran to the glass, placing our fingers on the translucence, our hand sweat eagerly copying our fingerprints. In the room next to ours, there were numerous kokuwamon. Some of them were working with a partner in groups of two as they transported boxes full of springs and screws and coils across the floor. The rest were in a line, each adding their own part to their project before passing it to the next kokuwamon to finish the job.

"I like watching other people work." JP said. _Kouji._ That seems like something just sadistic enough for that Kouji to say, you know, after he appears out of nowhere and saves the day. Had he been watching us?

_We are standing out in the open, a large digimon flying through the sky before spitting out an attack of doom to everything below. Trees burn while sand begins twirling around us again like graceful ballerina tornados. Tommy turned back into a human as he waits in JP's arms, who would never admit it now, but has become rather fond of the kid, and Zoe the butterfly can't move because of the sand. The monster is looking at me now, as it begins to charge. I try to side step it, but the sand has constricted my movement as well, drying like clay as it surrounds my knees. And then I notice it, behind me is Kouji as Lobomon, and he points his laser with such precision that it only takes him one shot. But he doesn't fire, not until the other monster is right in my face, so close that I can smell the stench of death from its talons. Its beak readies to rip off my nose, but it falls shorts, its wings of ember wrapping around my body before its being as a whole disappears._

" _What took you so long!?" I asked as I wondered if I could really take the answer. I expected him to say something like, "I don't like you," or "I was weighing my options," but instead he turned towards me, turning back into Kouji and waiting for me to return to Takuya before he continued his speech. The others weren't paying much attention as Zoe fumbled with her insteps, trying to ease the pain, while JP and Tommy were too fatigued to care about our conversation._

" _I like watching other people work…" except, that's not how he said it. He said it with this certain gleam in his eye, his jaw seeming longer as he leans back, hands in his pockets, exposing his tender neck. This was the first time I noticed his chest, the way his yellow tank top stuck to his skin so tightly while still refusing to give me an outline of what lies underneath. "I like watching you work, Takuya." I felt sweat drip from my forehead. Kouji gave me a smirk as he stared at me in question._

_Hey! Don't look at me like that. It's from the embers… the fire? The flames were hot, Kouji!_

_But Kouji was even hotter as he approached me, and I could feel his breath on my skin. It wasn't the same as the digimon's, though it was just as jagged and intimidating. "So," he twists his head to the side as he leans in. I feel his breath mix with mine as he hovers close to my lips. I shut my eyes, as the heat disappears. I keep them shut, I don't want to know what happened, and then ever so slowly I feel his smooth lips press on mine. I wanted to deepen it, but knowing Kouji, I waited for him to take the lead. He backed away before pressing them on mine again. Involuntarily, my hands started reaching for his shoulders. He gave me one more agonizing kiss before pushing me off of him and to the ground. I looked up in confusion as he took his place on the floor next to me. He straddled me for a second before flipping us both over. His hands were in my hair… where did my goggles go? MY HAT!?... before his arms fell limply to the ground. I was sitting on his stomach, his face still coy as mine turned red. Neither of us moved. We just sat there, my knees protecting his sides while my hands rested on his chest. One of my fingers found a stub through the fabric, but I refused to rub it as I didn't know what reaction this would cause. That was until he gave me a loud smirk, his eyebrow quirking in cruel amusement. "Takuya." He whispered, making my body shiver as my hand trembled. I must of rubbed against something, either his nipple, or perhaps something lower, as he offered a mockingly exaggerated moan. Do something Kouji. Why aren't you doing something? And then he parted his lips ever so slightly, and all I wanted to do was smother them with my own, but I didn't. His eyes scanned me expectantly, as he let out one final command._

_"Work."_

"We're not the only ones watching." I head Bokomon call from a distance, but without warning, he was right beside me. Kouji was gone, though I still felt his touch linger on my lips, as the Kokuwamon came back into focus in front of me. There were a couple of green digimon, like goblins, with big fangs waking around holding hammers. I hadn't noticed them before. _How much did I miss?_

_Stupid daydreams about stupid Kouji._

"Goblinmon." Bokomon introduced their species. I couldn't help but think that some of these digimon need more original names. I mean, I guess their logical, but… "this ogre digimon loves being bad. His special attack is goblin strike."

"Are you enjoying you're tour?" A Minomon lowered itself from the ceiling. Zoe hummed in approval as it smiled and continued, "Do you have any questions?"

"Can we slide on this floor in our socks?" Of course that was all Neemon had on his mind.

"If you feel you must, go ahead!" The minomon cheered before swinging itself on its web, like spiderman, and disappearing again. Neemon took a wobbly step as he attempted to skate, falling hard on his butt with a _thud_. And then there was another thud, JP's foot stomping the ground as he hopped back and forth, hands reaching towards his crotch.

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked him. _Isn't it obvious?_

"I really need to find a bathroom," his removed his hands as he let them swing side to side and began running down the hall, "like right now!"

"It's on the left!" The minomon called from somewhere above. _That's helpful._ Surprisingly I heard as a toilet flushed. _Man, that was quick._

"Hey, JP! Hurry up, did you fall in?" I teased as I waited for him to appear from behind the corner.

"I'm coming already!" He called, as he began running again. Wasn't he the one that was exhausted just a bit ago?

"This is the backbone of wind factory." A minomon announced as we continued with the tour. "It's where all the latest ultra high-tech super machines are made!" She cheered.

"So cool!" Tommy moaned in awe. There were a few large poles throughout the room, one holding a hook that resembled a crane, another one holding a wrecking ball.

"You call that a ultra high-tech super machine? Please," Bokomon sighed.

"A fan?" Tommy asked. It was then that I noticed the small room fans that were being transported.

"And an ugly one at that!" Zoe's opinion echoed as the minomon stayed quiet. Thousands of gray fans were lined up on each conveyer belt as they disappeared, coming out of another tower as they made their way across the room. "Gray is so out." She crossed her hands across her chest in disgust.

"What's so high-tech about a stupid fan?" JP asked. By this comment, the minomon had heard enough. She started swinging violently from side to side as she screeched, obviously pissed off.

"Hey! It beats a folded piece of paper!" _I don't know, origami's pretty cool._ She exclaimed as she continued to swing. "Now," she slowed her ministrations before calmly taking her place in front of us, "before we get you some lovely parting gift, are there any questions?" She asked, tilting her head as she got even closer to us. _Creepy._ But we all ignored her, minds on our hunger again. We all raised our hands, except for Bokomon who rested his head on his, asking her in unison.

"Where is the cafeteria?" But we weren't expecting the _meal_ that was on our plates. It was lacking of the arousing aroma of the Lamb Soup Alla Floramon, and without the appeal of the chocolate just beginning to melt in the heat. Before them, was an assortment of batteries, double A, triple A, mini ones that could fit in Shinya's watch, bigger ones that could fit in my old remote controlled race car… Not the most delicious looking plate. However, it could regain our interest if they were used to power, perhaps, a microwave that contained a steaming bag of popcorn and a sautéed patty pressed between a sour dough bun.

"So, what exactly do you call this?" Zoe asked, _I call it inedible_ , as she pulled her hands into her _flat_ chest, refusing to touch the contents of her plate.

"A Nine-Volt-Omelet?" Neemon suggested.

"Eat up everybody." Here comes that obnoxious voice again, another minomon appeared.I looked up at the ceiling, but there was no evidence of any more. Where do they even come from? Thin air?

At this, Zoe picked one up. Toying with it between her fingers. _Didn't your mother teach you to not play with your food._ "They're really lovely batteries," _Eh, I've seen better,_ "but…" Her declination didn't really work. The minomon just assured us it was the chef's special. And I couldn't help but agree. The chef was special all right. The kokuwamon had no problem drinking up electrocution, creating sparks that they eagerly swallowed. We all stared in awe as we felt the dryness of our mouths, get even dryer with the sight.

"Make sure to save room for desert!" Minomon ordered, "It's Alkaline!" She cheered. _Dammit._

"We can't eat this stuff!" JP and I carelessly let the battery roll out of our hands and back onto our plates. Tommy took a different approach. He leaned in close, curving his mouth to the side.

"Say, don't you have any sugary treats lying around? You know, for special guests?"

"How 'bout a double AA pie?" She asked.

"NO THANKS!" We all yelled, the volume still ringing in our ears as we retraced our steps. Heading back towards the desert, still sweaty, tired, and famished.

"I'm worried we may have offended the Minomon." Zoe admitted.

"More than lunch offended us?" I asked her. She didn't respond. _Exactly._

"Can we get back to worrying about my stomach?" I've had enough of this. I'm hungry, JP's been whining like a helpless baby, Neemon has been even dumber due to the heat stroke, I can't get Kouji out of my head, and I fucking miss Shinya. I took the opportunity to charge at a battery set on the ground. I kicked it, the stupid battery, and sent it flying. GOAL! It hit the train tracks, bouncing off of it with a metal clang. A few goblinmon nearby turned to look at me, and I just scratched my head and offered a fake smile.

"Hey, what's that?" Zoe asked, looking past the digimon.

"Is a building with a fence too obvious an answer?" Bokumon replied with a grin.

"Let's check it out." I offered, beginning to walk. Zoe competed with me, trying to keep on step ahead, so naturally we started to run. I beat her, of course. We stopped as soon as one of the elder Kokuwamon approached us, groaning in aches and old age.

"So this…"

"…is where the Kokuwamon live." Zoe finished for me. _You have no idea how much it bothers me when someone finishes for me._

"At least they live out in the sunshine." Neemon perked.

"Yes, where they can sweat and rust." Even Bokumon's sarcasm seemed forced as a yawn threatened to escape. A few kokuwamon kids stood in front of Tommy and JP, their metal cheeks turning pink as they announced that we were kinda funny looking. The elder didn't seem to appreciate the comment as he put a little more weight on his cane, leading us as well as the rest of the Kokuwamon into a small bit of shelter. Shade. He turned, taking his place at the front of the herd, giving us a grumbly speech.

"Well, once there was there, there is now here, which is neither here, nor there." Slowly, one by one, the kokuwamon behind the elder folded their arms in thought.

"If I said that made any sense, I'd be lying." Zoe took a seat next to Tommy on a low tree stump, as he voiced his agreement. Another kokuwamon bravely took the lead, forcing a few steps forward before standing before us.

"Sorry," he apologized, "the elder's charge is a little low these days. Perhaps our story will make more sense if we begin at the beginning. We kokuwamon lived peacefully in the forest for generations, we played among the trees and had games of electric tag." _Electric tag?_ _That doesn't sound peaceful._ "Until one day, without warning, the goblinmon attacked. The wind at the wind factory had gotten weaker and the energy for the generator had gotten low, so their leader had us rounded up. They took us all from our beautiful wooded home and put us to work in the factory." He explained.

"Here, not there." The elder added.

Tommy folded his arms, his feet barely long enough to touch the ground from his position on the stump. "Man, that just blows." _Nice choice of words, Tommy. Really helpful, given the focus of my thought recently._

"Yeah, and everything seemed so normal when we toured the factory." Zoe crossed her arms as well.

"I had a feeling something was wrong." JP spoke up. "My gut told me." _Great, so even your stomach's a know-it-all. Wait, does this have to do with whatever happened in the bathroom? Gross._

"So how come they needed your labor in such a modern factory?" I asked.

"Our labor is more of a bonus for the Goblinmon. It is not the main reason they keep us." The kokuwamon said, lowering his head in what I could only guess was shame. "You must understand," with great courage he looked up, locking eyes with me, "they would never let you outsiders see what really goes on there. We kokuwamon are a timid and cowardly breed by nature" he explained, "but when we are frightened we emit electrical currents up to a million volts, so they scare us c-constantly. Sometimes they even pour water on us to short us out, then they use the electricity we give off in the factory- or even worse! They threaten to hang us upside down so the charge rushes to our heads. And if all of that doesn't work, they show us pictures of people's feet." _That's just evil._ "I've gotten so jumpy these days I feel like there's a kangaroo in my pants." The kokuwamon could not continue, so he lowered his head again. One of his friend stepping in front of him, ready to continue.

"So that was the noise I heard when I came out of the bathroom." JP mused.

"Scary here." The elder moaned as the center kokuwamon spoke.

"We're in the factory every day. This really isn't very much fun for us at all."

"It's no pay!" "And hard work!" "And no vacations!" Kokuwamon chimed.

"Can't go there." The elder said, sadly lowering his head to rest on his cane.

Tommy was the first to speak up. "Well, why don't you leave?" He asked, his bubbly voice causing some of the kokuwamon to look up with a spark of hope.

"Yeah," JP added, "when the going gets too tough, the really smart ones take off." _You're such an idiot!_

"Are you out of your mind?!" I yelled at him, "If they take off," I leaned closer to him, balling my fists, "then the Goblinmon will track them down and smash them all into little pieces!" He shoved his chin into my face, knocking me back.

"Let me guess, Taky," _I'm really starting to hate this nickname,_ "You've got some bright idea they should band together and fight back." We both offered a growl.

"We're not really fighters, and as for running away, we can't because the Goblinmon security is just too tight." A kokuwamon reasoned.

"Well, it seems like those are your only two options." I offered a shrug and a sigh.

"I suppose if we had to choose, we would prefer the running option." He decided.

"If you run now you'll never stop running. But if you fight them you could be free forever. You won't have to do it alone. We'll help ya beat them!" I promised. Instantly I felt a hand clench around my throat.

"Hey!" JP whined, "who died and made you decision guy anyway, what if we don't want any part of this fight, huh?"

"I'm in!" Zoe stood, causing JP to turn his back to me. It wasn't out of anger. JP didn't care that Tommy then stood asking when we'd start. It was because for the first time since we've been in the digital world, me and Zoe actually agreed on something.

"Eggcelent!" Bokomon and Neemon sensed it too.

One by one, the resting kokuwamon stood, rising as they were preparing to do against their captors. Shoulders down, ready to fight. The silence weighed in as even the smallest of the pack steadied themselves on their feet. We all watched the scene unfold, unable to think of anything to say. Thankfully, a kokuwamon yelled into the crowd for us.

"Alright! Let's do this!" He chanted, another kokuwamon staring down at its claw hand.

"This could be the most important moment of our lives."

"No matter how short they may be." Another one perked. _We can do this!_

"Something tells me the Goblinmon are gonna get the shock of their lives." I praised, paying no attention to JP that continued to sulk, pacing back and forth behind us.

"Okay," Zoe didn't even seem to notice him, "is everyone ready?" She asked.

"READY WHEN YOU ARE," they said in unison.

"Ready to get ourselves killed." I heard JP scoff before he announced that he wouldn't be taking part in any of this.

But nothing to worry about. I had a plan. Or so I thought. I'll never be able to talk about what happened that night. It's all a blur. The way I messed everything up. How things went from achievable victory to inevitable defeat. Things started out well. The kokuwamon held their own against the goblinmon even though they had claimed to not be able to fight. Something must of snapped, changed behind their red eyes. Maybe the remembrance of their previous life, or the smell of the sap from the trees. They wanted out. And they were gonna do it. We were gonna make sure of it. And we made sure that we'd get out, by going in. By walking into assembly room, thus walking into a trap. Hundreds of goblinmon holding their wooden clubs, red hair spiking straight up in fury and their fangs seemed to be even sharper than before. Although I wasn't one to back away from a fight, I turned, ready to regroup, but the doors had already shut. There was no escape. Snimon lowered himself down from a wire attached to the ceiling, although he had wings and could've just flown. His large blades that he used as hands seemed restless, ready to slice.

"Well, look what we have here." He spoke, in a dark menacing tone. "You destroyed part of my factory. So I'll destroy you!" He lunged at us. I, as Agunimon, side stepped, but he was too fast. I could dodge his attacks for now, but there was no way to counter. The others had the same idea. Tommy ran, hitting the ground as a couple of kokuwamon shocked the goblinmon hovering above him, that was almost ready to beat down. Bokomon and Neemon ran helplessly, screaming. _Why did we even bring them?_ Seeing the goblinmon distracted, I faced Snimon. I shot fire at him, but he locked his blades together like a shield and I don't think he felt a thing. One quick flutter of his wings and my hands were holding his, trying to stop him from pushing the blades down towards my chest.

"What's your name," he breathed, "or should I just call you lunch meat?" His orange antennas wiggled with excitement as I struggled to find the strength to math his stance. He was easily twice the size of me, and he had me pinned against the rails.

"None of your business." I managed to cough out, but this only made him stronger.

"You dare taunt me?" He ordered. I went with his momentum, lifting him as he flew himself over the rails and into a column. I backed away, spreading my feet shoulder width apart and locking my fists together in defense. It didn't work. He called out "twin sickle" and I found myself sitting beside a large dent in the wall that may or may not have been caused by my head alone.

"Now I shall destroy all your little friends." He laughed. _My head._ "One by one." _Shit. What did he even say. It doesn't matter now. I failed._ I tried to find a way to buy more time, looking up at Snimon with as much of a challenge in my gaze as I still had the strength to produce. And I saw him. JP. He was getting lifted up by a few kokuwamon, taking his place in a large mechanical crane. _Quick thinking._ With swift precision, he slammed the metal into Snimon, sending the bug back into the wall. His blades got stuck in the foundation for a moment, before he pulled them out, sharpening them, and getting ready to kill. He sent a beam of energy towards the crane, splitting the machine. A column fell onto Snimon, but I wasn't worried about him anymore. JP was falling, I knew that much. But the smoke from the explosion was impenetrable with our eyes. Is he okay? Blue light shined through, and no one moved. Tommy stood beside me on one side of the railing, Neemon next to me on the other side, obviously fighting the temptation to stick his head between the gap. Bokomon's face was in his book, while the kokuwamon and goblinmon behind us stopped their attacks.

"Is that?"

"A spirit!" I finished for Tommy.

"Where do you suppose that came from?" Neemon asked, surely, Bokomon would have an answer.

"The metal surrounding it must've been too thick for the D-tector to well," He couldn't stop the slight giggle at the assumption that he was about to say something clever. "D-tect it." Another laugh. But JP silenced it, by falling from his seat in the crane to the unforgiving ground. Kokuwamon flew after him, catching him right before the collision. JP didn't even seem to notice how close a call it had been. He just held up his D-Tector, yelling "Spirit", and crossing his fingers that it would work.

 _Beetlemon? The warrior of thunder?_ There he stood, the colors of his armor the same as his jumpsuit. Once a _smurfburger_ , always a _smurfburger_.

_And an idiot._

He stood, in the middle of the level, prancing from foot to foot, cheering "I did it! Let's get the party started!" And Snimon complied. _Careful what ya wish for._

"Dance while you can, buggy boy." _First of all, Snimon, you're a bug too._ "Soon you'll taste the fury of Snimon!" _Second of all, I LOST TO THIS GUY?_

"The only thing I want to taste is a cheeseburger with a side of fries!" JP yelled back. _And of course, that made my mind spiral back… to the taste of Kouji on my lips. Dammit. My head. Ouch. A tongue flicks. Headache. My hand graces his cheek. Intensifying pain. His hand grips my shirt, he grinds his hips against me. Explosion…_ Explosion… seriously, an explosion. I have to get out. We have to go. We all started running, me a good few feet behind. And out, into the sunlight. How could it be day already? But it was, and we were panting and out of breath, and lying on pieces of scolding metal in unbelievable triumph. JP won.

"Finally, there is here!" The elder chants.

"Our story has come full-circle."

"You can all go back to your real homes now." JP smiled, obviously proud of his accomplishment. A young kokuwamon stepped forward, standing in front of him, tilting his head back as to look up high at JP's chin.

"I was right to believe in you." _I thought I felt a tear, but thinking back on it now, I know it was only because of what happened next._ The dust picked up as a gust of wind carried through the valley.

"Warning! Hey warning!" the Minomon screeched. "We're getting carried away here!" and the only thing I could think of at that moment, (no, it wasn't about Kouji), was that usually, isn't a warning supposed to be a bad thing?


	6. A Molehill Out of a Mountain

"No money?!" _Put me down._ "No food!" We landed hard on the ground outside of めしや, the restaurant. I remembered going to this restaurant once back home, when we were in Tokyo. They served lots of fish. Looking back at the digimon standing in front of us, shaped like a cockroach, holding a frying pan in one hand, a skillet in the other, and a dainty little apron tied around his waist, I decided not to push my luck. I did push Zoe though, as to my horror I was the one to land on her this time.

"Please come back," the digimon called, "when you're not just a bunch of deadbeats!" _I'll beat you til your dead. Anyone have a giant shoe?_

"But we're really hungry," Zoe bugged, "and we do have money." She approached the sliding door, holding a wallet… a Pyew-r-p-l-e wallet. She held out her hand only to have the door slammed shut.

"You have money?" Bokomon asked, trying to see what she had cupped in her hand. "Let me see it!" With a whine, she lowered her palm so he could examine the coins. Bokomon took them curiously, looking over to us. "You call this stuff money? Well, frankly," he turned back to Zoe, "I would've thrown you out of that restaurant too." With a hungry breath he discarded the coins into the air, paying no mind to Zoe's outrage or her scramble to pick it back up.

JP was obviously the first to speak, but something was different. He didn't throw himself onto her feet with a kiss to her shoes and offer to pick up the coins for her. He didn't scold Bokomon for throwing her belongings. All he asked was what money was like in the digital world. "How do we get our hands on some, huh?" He asked.

With the smirk of a scholar, Bokomon lifted his finger into the air, tilting his head to the side with a smartass remark. "It's simple. Stop being so lazy and go to work." He said. JP's jaw dropped as I felt my hands clench. _All we've been doing is work. Fight this bad guy. Fight this one. Aren't you the one that hides and does nothing?_

"Can't you just lend us some?" Tommy asked. _Smart kid._ JP held his hands out and I followed suit.

"Yeah! Hand it over." We demanded with a grin. Bokomon reached into the towel wrapped around his waist- _nevermind, I don't think I want it anymore_ \- and pulled out a green wallet. Three things came to mind. One, I'm doubtful that all the overdone shuffling in his pants was an honest attempt to find his wallet. Two, he'd make a good stripper in the real world since he already knew where the tips should go. And three, there better be some money inside.

"Big bucks!" Zoe cheered as she clasped her hands together in glory.

"Haha!" He offered a triumphant grin, only to open his wallet and show us that there was nothing in it but crumbs. "As you can see, I'm without funds as well." He ignored us as we all shriveled over with a hungry growl. He turned walking away with Neemon on his tail. "Now come on you nincompoops. Follow me." He didn't stop walking until Neemon rammed into him, looking back at us annoyed, "Time to go." We just collapsed onto the floor, _thankfully me not landing on Zoe this time._

"That's not going." Neemon pouted, but we returned the gesture.

"We're still hungry!" Zoe whined.

"Yeah, we gotta eat something." I agreed _for the first time in forever._

"Anything!" Tommy squeaked.

"Yeah," JP shouted before becoming preoccupied with something else. "Hey you guys, take a look at that." He pointed behind Bokomon and Neemon at a sign before reading it aloud, "Heroes wanted? All your meals for free!?" He looked at us in disbelief before jumping up off the ground and yelling "Rock solid!"

"I'm brave enough to eat!" I joked before we all ran as a stampede towards Bokomon and Neemon who had their heads tilted as if they were still trying to read the sign. We pushed them out of the way before rounding a corner and coming face to face with three snail digimon hiding behind their sign. Their eyes widened at us, relaxing a bit as their expression quickly turned into a smile when I told them we were heroes. A roller coaster ride later and approaching their home slanted on the side of a mountain, I pondered. Here I was, in this situation, perched on a horizontal window, my legs hanging over a drop that would shatter us to say the least.

Perhaps I should've clarified. _We_ are heroes. The other human that happens to wander around like a heartless bastard is not a hero. He is a villain. He is the enemy. He is the intruder amongst us. The intruder of my most recent dreams, and I could not believe that he had the audacity to tell the KaratsukiNumemon, that we were the useless ones as he swung around the wooden horse from his childhood, the one he beheaded with his sharp comments and daggers for eyes.

"Watch it stick boy or I'll-"

"Gentlemon, please." The karatsukinumemon interrupted me before swallowing at the loudest volume I've ever heard. "My thanks to all of you for coming to help. And now it's time to eat."

"Alright! It's time to chow down!" We cheered, though the skies must of misheard us. Instead of chow down, they heard "fall down" and we fell into the karatsukinumemon's house from the window.

"At least we'll get some good food to make us feel better." JP offered with a groan, yet he was the most mortified of us all when he saw what was being served. I couldn't help but think it beat the batteries we were offered last time, but that didn't help my stomach much. In front of us was cabbage.

Colored.

Cabbage.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked.

"I don't know", JP muttered, "it looks like rabbit food."

"At least rabbits get to eat!" Zoe snapped before grabbing a brown one and sinking her fangs into it. _Molto bono? Is that a good thing?_ Judging by my stare, she translated.

"Dig in!" and that was all the persuading we needed. "It tastes like steak!" _?Maybe she was a vegetarian in her previous life._

Tommy, JP, Bokomon, Neemon, and I all hesitantly brought one to our mouths, biting into it as Zoe had demonstrated. I ignored Kouji who sat in the corner, fondling his stick as he watched us with disapproval.

"Mine tastes like chicken!" JP smiled.

"Mine's like a potato!" Tommy added.

"Mine's just like asparagus." I cheered, though now everyone else joined in Kouji's act of disgust. "I like asparagus!" I defended. I turned away from them, only to look at Kouji. He was no longer facing us, eating the food that he had moved from the table to his spot on the floor.

"How'd he get here anyway?" I asked the closest karatsukinumemon.

"Oh. He fell from the sky." He stated.

"He did what?!"

"He fell." Kouji was in no ways an angel with a broken wing. _He was more of a mental illness._ One that could make anybody question their sanity. Maybe now he's gone airborne.

 _Oh, hello there._ Kouji was now standing right next to me, everyone else crowded around in a circle. To my horror, the rest of the food was now gone. I've got to stop zoning out.

"Grumblemon has the captives in a cave." Kouji said, pointing to a map he had spread on the table. _Did he draw this?_ "Right about," his finger swayed across the map, "Here", before landing near the peak of the mountain. "We'll have to get in and out quickly."

 _Nice choice of words Kouji._ At his last remark all the snails in the room shrugged in defeat.

"Just relax," JP assured, "have no fear. Leave everything to us, legendary warriors!" Immediately the karatsukinumemons' eyes widened and they backed away from us.

"What's the matter?" Zoe pleaded.

"You mean you're all legendary warriors?" The leader questioned.

"Yeah!" I held my arms up in triumph, "in the flesh." I was hoping my response would lessen their fear, but instead it seemed to heighten. Kouji stayed blank, though I could read his mind. _Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said that._ Maybe if I hadn't said something, we wouldn't be dangling off the side of a mountain right now, a rope tied tightly around my waist as well as cutting off circulation in my wrists.

Kouji was next to me, but I didn't admire the way he didn't even seem scared. The ways his complexion shone in the moonlight, or the way his eyes narrowed in fury. It's an expression I've seen from him so often. But why? Why was he always so angry?

_I was having a hard time sleeping. It's something I've struggled with since my first night here. This particular incident had nothing to do with who lie next to me. I wasn't counting the seconds... 4832... that I had waited in hopes that he'd fall asleep and I could sneak a glance. Decided I would be much more comfortable if I slept on my other shoulder, I rolled, only to come face to face with Kouji who seemed as awake as he was over an hour ago. His eyes were strained the same way they were now as he demanded to know why I dare face him. Had he been watching me? I told him that I didn't like him at first. Of course, I didn't tell him the extent I liked him now, but it meant nothing. He didn't have any friends, and maybe it wasn't because he was a cold-hearted bastard. Maybe it was because he didn't want any. But why?_

"What are you doing?" Kouji called.

"We'll give you back to your partner in exchange for a women." Our captors exclaimed, looking away as I called them dirty sneaks. "Is that why you brought us here?"

He scoffed. "I think it is you who are the dirty sneaks. Pretending to be caring helpful strangers when you're really legendary warriors."

"I don't understand, what's wrong with that?" Zoe pleaded.

"The time for your games and lies are over, soon you'll be back with your ally." The karatsukinumemon informed us as he clung to the perch we were attached to.

"Ally? What are you talking about?" For the first time in his life, I don't think Kouji had a clue what was going on.

"Don't play dumb. We know you're all in league with Grumblemon." I could hear all of our breaths as we took a collective gasp. I don't even know who Grumblemon was. If anyone was in league with him, it would be Kouji.

KOUJI'S POV

"This couldn't get any worse!" Takuya sighed at the accusation. _Nice choice of words Takuya._ Of course, immediately after the statement, part of the mountain behind us exploded, chunks of rock falling to the unforgiving ground. I recognized the voice that came next, scratchy like what I once imagined the troll under the bridge would sound like in fairy tales.

"Now give fractal code or bad things be happen."

"Yeah? Says who?" Could Takuya just not shut up to save his life. We're tied up, dangling from the side of a mountain. I'm pretty sure Grumblemon won't be intimidated by us.

"Say me," he called before emerging, "and you say me too once you know who I am. You can call me Grumblemon." The girl, Zoe, was the first to notice the symbol on his belt. When I first encountered him, it was dark. I didn't notice, but how was it possible that he was a legendary warrior as well?

"Give me fractal code or else." He ordered, "you not want to know what or else is." It was obvious he found our situation amusing, as he stopped advancing and called up to the karatsukinumemon above, who were now holding blades and ready to cut us down from the noose. "Why for human yoyos?"

"If you want to save your allies," they bargained, "then you'll give us back our women now!"

"Those knives are a little close there!" JP shrieked. It was easy to see the tears in his eyes as the younger kid, Tommy, started sobbing.

"What so? Me no care what happens to weak human things." Grumblemon pointed at us, laughing at the karatsukinumemons' surprise. They took it a step further, reaching down and threatening to cut the ropes that held Takuya and Tommy. I was close enough to reach with my legs if I had to, but judging by the others' reaction times, Tommy would be a goner. To our relief, they stopped their advancement before questioning further.

"You mean you really don't care about them? But they're legendary warriors too!" I really wish people would stop saying that and keep their damn mouths closed.

"These weaklings be legendary warriors? Me think somebody got their hands on some spirits and took them when they shouldn't have." He cupped his fists, "Now I to put my hands on you and take them all right back." He lifted his hands that were no longer unequipped. He held a giant hammer that he eagerly swung from his ledge. We we all struggled to lift our bodies, the strike barely missing our legs. I saw my only chance to escape, as there was no way Grumblemon would miss us twice. As the karatsukinumemon retreated, one dropped their blade. I pushed off the mountain side as hard as I could, the blade landing on my hands as it cut me free. I felt a bit of blood run from my wrist as well, but it wasn't a new feeling for me. I felt myself drop and wondered if this was what it would've felt like all those time I stood on that bridge, looking down below me and wondering if any of this was worth it. Was this what it would feel like to fall to your death?

But I didn't get the chance. My d-tector lit up, enclosing me in a blue haze. I was no longer Kouji. I was Lobomon, and Lobomon didn't have such mundane problems. As of now, just one. He was being trolled.

I was able to grip the rope I was once tied to, swinging towards Grumblemon and ramming my feet into him. We ended up crashing into a building. He swung his hammer at me again, and I dodged before sending a laser attack back in his direction. It also missed, destroying more of the already crumbling room. He came at me with a swing, before discarding the hammer, throwing it up and tackling me. We went out through the slanted house before landing in another one below. The hammer followed, falling down after us and landing near my head. Gravity pulled me down through one of the gaps of destruction, and I held on. _Why was it, that when by someone else's terms, I no longer wanted to fly?_

Grumblemon stepped on one of my hands and I heard Takuya and his friends yell for me. What was that supposed to do? Wake me up? Make me do something other than hang here helplessly. He stepped on my other hand, and though I could feel my fingers breaking, I didn't let go. But I didn't hold on either. I was falling, through a black hole... through data that once existed.

I was told later, by Tommy, that she had helped me up. That I had fought alongside Takuya and JP, though Takuya was quick to throw in that I had also fought with him. She also told me that Grumblemon, had two evolutions. It was his beast spirit that had defeated us, but I don't remember any of that. All I remember was jumping from that bridge. And somehow I ended up here. Bouncing on a bunch of rainbow colored balls.


	7. Island of Misfit Boys

Kouji's POV

"This looks like more fun than it is!" The kid whined, Takuya groaning as if he was about to barf.

"You're not kidding." He confirmed, struggling to keep himself from flying into the air again. "Is this a giant playground?" He asked me, but I had no time for stupid questions. I climbed out of the pit without much difficulty, though I appreciated the way Takuya kept falling backwards, losing his balance for no apparent reason. "What needs a playground this big?"

"We're gonna find out, aren't we?" Guessing by our luck so far, the kid was right. "Guys, help me up!" Tommy reached out his hand. Takuya scoffed as I refused, letting him take the role of the nanny as he grabbed Tommy's hand, pulling him out of the play castle, away from the spherical trampolines. "Keep your eyes peeled for Zoe and the guys." He ordered, competitively taking the lead. _Out of everyone here he was the worst possible person to intrigue me._

A sound like ravens cawed. "Something tells me they're not gonna be easy to find in this place." I stated, looking into the trees to see if I could spot any of the birds. Something else flew overhead, but like everything so far, it didn't make sense.

"A flying toy robot!" Tommy shrieked before following its trail. Instantly, Takuya was chasing him, telling him to wait up. I had to debate whether I'd be better off on my own, but having no other direction to wander in, I began my pursuit. I don't know which one of them is worse. My question was answered pretty quickly when I caught up to them. Tommy was kneeled down in front of a play train set, ramming the cars into each other as he made stupid sound effects.

"We don't have time for this." I scolded. He didn't even hear me. He just laughed, putting a car on the race track and watching it go. "What a baby." I said under my breath. Of course, his ears were magically fixed now.

"I am not!" He yelled at me, turning away from his toys and glaring. "These are just cool toys."

"Yeah they are cool toys," the mediator agreed, "but this probably isn't the best time to be playing." _Did Takuya just agree with me?_

"Awe, c'mon!" He whined, "when else can we play with all these cool toys?" I put my hands in my pockets as I watched Takuya pick up a robot that was discarded in the pile. Unlike all the other discarded playthings, this one was standing upright as if it had yet to be knocked over during play. Takuya pushed a button and a hand shot out from the robot.

"Super robot punch!" He cheered.

"Not you too." I pleaded. He squinted his eyes, an obvious blush coming to his features. I don't know why I thought the color suited him. Maybe it was cause through all of the idiotic things he's done so far, he still had yet to get truly embarrassed. _But then... why would he be embarrassed now, when my comment had the same venom as everything else I've ever said to him._

"Put down that stupid toy!" Takuya had a change of heart, throwing down the robot and storming off. I followed him, ignoring as Tommy trailed behind, muttering about how we were worse than his parents.

"I wonder what happened to Zoe and JP." Takuya's head was slightly lowered, watching his footsteps. I don't even think he noticed as we passed a dragon statue.

"I think our only choice is to head to the forest terminal." I called to him. His response surprised me. No yelling. No anger. No power trip. He turned around, offering a lazy smile as he told me that was a good idea.

"We can probably meet up with the others there, you think?" I nodded my head, turning as I noticed Takuya's eyes focused on something else.

"Guys, check it out!" Tommy had a green balloon in one hand, a stuffed pig that he eagerly oinked in the other. Something in his giggle made me feel so frustrated, and that feeling seemed to affect Takuya as well. His hands were on his hips as he took an inhale, just preparing to nag.

"Look, we decided that now was not the time to play around, right?" I fisted my hands as I watched Tommy begin to sport a pout.

"You decided." He shrugged, hunching his shoulders as he pulled the stuffed animal closer to his chest. Takuya dropped his tough guy act, ready to spring into action.

"Calm down." He tried, "don't start crying." This comment made the brat act even worse as he puffed out his cheeks, narrowing his eyes in Takuya's direction again. "Ah man," Takuya approached me, "I feel bad."

"Why?" I crossed my arms at this, talking lowly though I knew full well that Tommy could hear. "Because of him?" I wondered if Takuya would accept what I was about to say. "The little baby has to grow up sometime." I could hear Tommy gasp behind me.

"Don't be so mean." _I knew he didn't have it in him. "_ He's just a little kid for Pete's sake." _Yeah, a little kid who had the misfortune of ending up in the digital world. I don't think Grumblemon's going to care how old he is when he's done smashing a hammer through his head._ I took a second to look at Takuya's face. Instantly, I gave up.

"Whatever." I breathed, walking past him with a huff.

"No," I felt his hand brace my wrist for just a second as he tried to stop me. "You can't just say whatever. Now listen up!" I don't know why, but something in his fierceness compelled me to comply. I stopped, refusing to turn from him, but he knew I was all ears. "I know you're not used to having friends but you're part of a team now so you better show some support." _Maybe he does have it in him._

"Great idea, let's support the useless kid right up until the point where we all die because of his stupidity." _Or yours._

"No wonder no one likes you." He lashed out at me. I couldn't help the fact that my face now displayed emotion as I felt the feeling of fury rise through my veins.

"What do you know?" I spat. What does it matter if anyone likes me, as long as I like you enough to make sure that you don't die because of some idiot kid. Or because of yourself. You're so arrogant. The difference between me and you isn't that you're well liked, it's that you're completely oblivious to the fact that no one's looking out for you either.

Except for me.

"C'mon guys, if you keep fighting, we'll never get to the forest terminal." Tommy cried. It wasn't until we heard the whistle that we softened our gaze. "Hey, it's a train!"

The second we got to rest our feet the moods shifted again. Tommy was the first on the train, Takuya behind him. I was last, facing in the opposite direction. "Some train."

"Some _toy_ train", Takuya mocked, turning his head over his shoulder to look at me.

"Yeah, very funny", I wished I was in a position to make them stop laughing, "Just drop it ok, it's bad enough that I have to ride on this stupid thing." Takuya turned around then, and I thought maybe the torment was over. In unison, they both shouted.

"Kouji's playing with toys." Give me a play gun and a play bullet and they'll be able to see how good I am at playing pretend. _Not very._

"Hey, it's a giant walking teddy bear!" He excitedly jumped off the train, as did Takuya. _They've got to be kidding._ I guess the intention was to ask him how to get to the forest terminal, but he wasn't amused by the dumb way Takuya ran towards him, arms flapping like a demented bird as he shouted like a gull about to get in a fight over the piece of bread found lying in the hot sand.

He did what I wanted to. Took his giant teddy bear paws, picked him up by the shirt collar, and threw him to the floor. I couldn't help the smile that spread to me face.

"I am still undefeated!" The teddy bear called. He raised his hand as the victor and it was then that I noticed the bandage on his stomach. Was he bleeding? _I mean stuff...ing?_ The bear helped Takuya up and all I could do is think about how everything good in my life had to someday come to an end. Why not a couple seconds longer? "Now, we wrestle for the championship of the world!"

"Yeah! I'm next!" Tommy cheered, but Takuya was more of a scaredy cat than I thought. He left me in the dust, grabbing Tommy's arm as he started another lecture.

"Are you crazy? It'll crush us!" We ended up running back towards the castle playground, climbing up into a giant play pirate ship.

"Hey wait! The championship!" He called before changing his mind. "Oh, I see, you want to play tag." _If I get my hands on you Takuya I'll be "it" and tag you with my fucking fist._ "You guys are good at this!" He chanted as he ran right past our hiding place, continuing to dash around below. Of course, the pirate ship we were one was like an old carnival ride, called the _Viking._ I had been on something similar, once before. With a friend. Tommy's stomach was similar to his as he vomitted on my side of the ship. _Just great._ Takuya rubbed his back as they climbed down the side.

"You gonna be ok kid?" He asked. I didn't care enough to hear the response, but I was livid when Takuya bent over, asking Tommy if he wanted a piggy-back ride.

"Gimme a break! Make the kid walk." I couldn't believe this.

"Look, it's no big deal, he's not feeling well so I'll help him out ok?" He defended himself as he stayed in his squat.

"Yeah, and what'll happen if you're attacked while you're carrying him?" His eyes lost their confidence, "You'll be too slow to run away, that's for sure!" Even though his knees shook and his shoulders fell I still delivered the final blow. "You're about the worst leader I've ever seen. You never think ahead."

"Well at least I think of someone other than myself Mr. definition of the word selfish." _I'm thinking about you, you idiot._

"I can walk." The kid moped, taking off in the direction of a house shaped like a shortcake.

"Are you sure?" Takuya pleaded.

"I don't have much of a choice." He admitted sadly.

"I have an idea." _Uh oh._ "Let's see if anyone lives in that house. Maybe they can help us. " Ok, so the idea initially wasn't as bad as I was expecting... however, when I walked inside I instantly wanted to pull the two of them out of there.

"Now I know what it feels like to be a kid in a candy store!" Takuya smirked.

"And it's the best thing ever!" Tommy finished for him. I didn't miss how Takuya's mouth started to drool as Tommy grabbed a stick of cotton candy and began to munch.

"I guess we can take a little time to have a snack, right?" Eagerly, Tommy ran up to him with some of the pink cloud. He instantly took a bite. I don't know why, but I was so focused on his mouth that I didn't even notice as Tommy shoved a blue bit of cotton candy into my face.

"We do not have time to sit around here stuffing our face with candy," _or getting lost in thought and staring at someone's face because it makes you feel safe._ "We have to find a way to get to the forest terminal. We're not out having fun at a carnival or something." Takuya just kept chewing, pieces floating out of his mouth as he chomped. "Do you understand?" _Do you understand why I'm pushing you. All of you?_ "Are you listening to me?" _He thinks he's so smart, and that he's strong and capable of making it in this world. He's so infuriating,_ and I told him that.

"What are we supposed to do, we're floating on an island?" I could feel my body shake in hopelessness.

"There's another example of why you'll never be a good leader. You just give up. It's like you don't want to help your friends at all." _I'd step up to the plate, but they wouldn't listen to me. I know I'm harsh, but what do they think, simply skipping stones in data streams will make everyone get along?_ "I mean, take a look at what you're doing right now."

Takuya's POV

There was something different about Kouji. He looked so weak. He wasn't yelling at me anymore like he had been earlier. "I don't see you coming up with any ideas." I challenged, though it was more out of my stubborn nature. I desperately wanted to ask him what we should do, but I wouldn't let him know that.

"At least I'm not just eating." I was going to retort with some comment about how if you don't keep fueled up that running away will be as effective as having a kid on your back, but then I realized... it's puffy sugar... "We need to think about the other legendary warriors."

"What are you talking about?" I didn't like the way my voice showed my utter surprise. Why would we worry about them?

"What if the other four warriors end up being on the enemy's side?" He pushed. If they are, we'll need a plan. I noticed as Tommy dropped his cotton candy, as well as his head. "We have to think of the worst case scenario, not just play games and eat sweets. Or we might not make it out of this world alive."

 _I knew he was right, but_ "look, can we not talk about this now?"

"You mean in front of Tommy?" _Bullseye._ "I don't care if he's young, he has to learn to face the truth."

"I'm sorry you hate me so much." Tommy trembled.

"I don't hate you, it's just." I think I was finally beginning to understand. That maybe, I didn't hate _him_ either.

"I'm sorry", he apologized again anyway. I placed my hand on his head, giving it a gentle pat before leading him outside of the building.

"Does anyone want to talk?" Tommy asked in Kouji's direction. He was still really pissed off with me. I could feel it as he walked beside me. Usually, I'd take the lead and he'd shy away, but now we were shoulder to shoulder. _I don't try to upset you, you know._

"Fine. Let's talk about how we're gonna get to forest terminal and what we're gonna do about the legendary warriors." Straight to the point.

"You're unbelievable," I groaned, "I told you I didn't want to talk about in front of Tommy.

"And I told you, you can't treat him like he's different from the rest of us."

"Yeah, but you can respect he's just a kid."

"And so are you!" I faced him then which such ferociousness. _Do kids have these kind of feelings?_ I shot daggers at him, _contort your face, do something that helps me find my way from your blue eyes._ Something is really wrong with me. I didn't want a map. The only thing that tore me from his gaze was Tommy screaming for us. He was cradled like a football in another bear's arms.

"It's that bear again." I stated dumbly, though my feet hadn't caught up with my brain.

"No, it's different now. It looks all funky." _If it wasn't for the situation, I so would've jumped on the chance to chastise the fact that "funky" was in Kouji's ever so smart-boy vocabulary._ Shortly after, I addedWarumonzaemon to mine.

"Hey you big fuzzy creep," I yelled as we chased, "give us our friend back!" I didn't have time to react as I heard him call out something about breaking hearts. I felt something cold rush into my chest. I felt so low, falling to the ground as I no longer had the strength to stand. Kouji was next to me, and at the time, I didn't stop to wonder why he'd stay with me instead of go after Tommy. But I knew that, for whatever reason, I would've done the same thing.

"What's the point?" I asked, "we're never gonna catch him?" I said as I started to cry. I was crying because I was admitting defeat. I was crying because what Kouji said to me was true. I will never be a good leader. I do give up way to easily.

"Why are you crying?" He asked me, but the teddy bear performed his heart break attack again and then Kouji was beside me, tears welling up in his eyes as well. I imagined reaching over to his cheek and wiping those tears away. That thought brought my happiness, and that's how the bears' effect wore off.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." He apologized, just moments before he was back to normal. I thought that somehow, maybe, seeing me feel better brought him happiness. It was just wishful thinking.

"I'm sorry too." I returned as I wiped my eyes a final time and came back to reality. The bear was long gone. Kouji was quick to stand up, but I stayed down, growling at how that attack was so not fair. "Now, Tommy is gone." I didn't mean to sound accusatory, but it did. It wasn't Kouji's fault, but I was still angry, that we weren't working together like teammates, that we weren't friends... and maybe, if we had it Kouji's way, would never be. "What do we do?" I asked him. He didn't respond. Just took a big breath and headed off in the direction of the bear. _Why do evil things always run faster than normal things?_

"I don't see it anywhere." Kouji sighed. _Hey, I thought you weren't allowed to give up!_

"This is our fault, you know. Cause we were fighting." I started. His silence allowed me to continue. "This reminds me of the time I lost my little brother at the amusement park. I've never been so worried as I have been now." I turned around only to notice that Kouji was no longer behind me. He had ran off. Fortunately, he was easier to trail then Warumonzeamon. We ended up at another castle, but this one didn't look like a playhouse. It looked like something out of a fairytale, ivory colored walls and large arches for doorways. As we stood on the bridge, looking towards the gates, we saw two of the digimon. They looked like black lego dinosaurs. I'm not sure if Kouji even noticed that the bridge was moving, lifting. And then the mote retreated, knocking us off of it and into the waters below. The hit knocked the wind out of me, and I wasn't able to hold my breath. I was drowning, and Kouji was too. I could see him sinking even further as my lungs began to burn. I felt a speedy tug as something hugged me in one arm. I reached my hand out to make sure Kouji was safe as well. My fingers came in contact with his, and his hand closed around mine. It must've been out of pain, out of trying to fight the urge to let the water in. That was the only explanation, for when resurfaced in an underwater cave, a panda bear bragging about how he once again foiled the plans of the ShadowToyAgumon, which I assumed to be the licorice legos. Kouji's hand was still wrapped around mine, but he pulled it away without even a glance. There was no color on his cheeks. _Duh, Takuya. It meant nothing._

"So, you saved us just so you could bring us down here and hurt us yourself?" _What had happened to you Kouji? Why are you so paranoid?_

"Don't pay any attention to him," I disregarded, "Thanks for helping us Pandamon."

"Pandamon, the Protector." He corrected. Kouji still wasn't convinced. He had his arms crossed the entire time we followed him through the secret caverns, and anytime he spoke, he sounded murderous.

"Kouji." I nudged him, but he didn't change his tone. When we got back to the castle, he wasn't any more greatful either. Especially when we were ambushed by a large group of ShadowToyAgumon. No one moved and I was getting tenser by the second.

"Are they just gonna stand there?" I asked Kouji, as they opened their mouth spitting out a glob of an attack. _Or perhaps last night's dinner._ Kouji quickly pulled out his D-tector, swiping his hand as he became Lobomon. I spirit evolved as well. However, the ShadowToyAgumon also knew this trick. Like the legos they were, they built themselves up, one on top of the other until they were in the shape of a tank.

"That's cute, but what can a toy tank do?" I had to ask. It blast at me, and unsuspecting, I stood in its path. Kouji, er, Lobomon swung it's sword, disintegrating it precisely. He was so cool. And I was so dumbfounded. When he told me to stay back, saying he could handle it, I had no doubt in my mind. He hit it once, dodging another blast on his trek, and instantly it's code was visible. What I wanted to say was thank you. What came out was... "Show-off, I could've done that!"

"Yeah, but you didn't." He spat back. I appreciated the fact that someone was on my side as he was too absorbed with my annoying qualms to pay attention as the scatter of ShadowToyAgumon rebuilt as a giant robot.

Giant _attack robot._

"And I would've done a better job." I pestered. "Sure you don't need a little help there, buddy?" I knew I was getting on his last nerve. I just wanted, so badly, for him to admit that I wasn't good for nothing. I knew he thought Tommy just got in the way, but... does he truly feel that way about me too?

"Why don't you take me up?" I yelled to the robot once I remembered that waiting for a response from Kouji was just hopeless. As I charged, another one swung. "Dammit. You sure look a lot bigger close up." I had this thought of fleeing in the back of my mind, but Kouji was holding his ground against his attacker so I stayed, buying time as I weaved between the robots legs to through him off his balance. It worked, but just slightly. "How can we beat them?"

"Follow my lead." I jumped into the air as did Lobomon, tempting both robots to swing. It had the desired effect. They hit each other, the fractal code circling them like the stars that circled around a cartoon character's fresh bump in the head.

"Hey, it worked." I wasn't expecting any sort of praise, though it would've been nice. Lobomon simply swiped for the fractal code before turning back to Kouji and racing up the castle steps.

"Hurry, we've got to get to Tommy." Maybe I got through to him, at least a little bit. Tommy may feel like a liability to us sometime, but he's still our responsibility. We rammed through the doors, only to see Tommy playing video games with his captor, who was back to his yellow stitching instead of that of the zombie teddy that could only be popular in American stores. Judging by Kouji's face, I may have plead my case. His look of shock changed to a smile as a gentle laugh escaped his lips. However, his expression turned back to a glare the second Tommy asked.

"Can we keep him?"


	8. Odd One Out

KOUJI'S POV

Tommy was asleep, controller still clutched in his determined grasp. Takuya was silent for once, leant up on the other side of the snoozing teddy bear. At first, I thought he was taking advantage of our first opportunity to sleep, but he was merely watching me through the darkness.

"What?" An involuntary yawn following.

"You wanted to talk, right?" I shrugged my shoulders, turning away from him in hope that it would end the conversation. "I kinda want to talk to you about something too."

"About what?"

"Can we go outside?" He still refused to speak in front of Tommy, even if the child was out cold? Takuya's request was quiet, but hearing Tommy shuffle in his slumber I agreed. He lead the way, and as we were walking down the stairs, I felt my foot slip. My ankles twisted tightly and I felt my knee shift as well. The feeling, though brief, of falling through the air was so familiar. "Are you ok?" The was a soft echo compared to his rushed footsteps. I wanted to ask him the same question, to ask him why he was acting so strangely. But then, if I viewed his current behavior as weird did that mean I learned to accept his usual demeanor as normal? _Had it become normal for me, after such a short time? Did I know what irked him, and simply chose to do it anyway just to hear him stumble on his words when he tried to outsmart me? Did I enjoy the way we fought, as if we wouldn't risk our own lives for the other, because all I wanted was a reaction and I didn't know how else to get one?_

"Kouji?" He tried again.

"What!" Still sounded sleepy, and I didn't like the way I shivered.

"Are you coming?" I looked at the bottom of the steps, the dark silhoutte of Takuya using the weight of his body to keep the door propped open. I hurried to him then, not willing to make an estimate of how long I had been spacing. The way he kept the door open for me seemed uncharacteristic for him as well. That was until he muttered a "Ladies first." Stopped dead in my tracks.

"I changed my mind. I'm going to bed. Too tired to deal with your shit right now."

"I was just kidding!" I didn't respond, just started walking back up the steps.

"If you go to sleep, I'll draw on your face." He whined. _With what? A stylus?_

"I'll..." A step. "I'll..." It was obvious he couldn't think of anything more dasterous than an ever so artistic mustache and pair of cat whiskers. At least that's what I thought, until he spewed another threat and I missed the step completely.

"I'll kiss you." He almost yelled. The fragileness in his voice was gone as I could just barely see his triumphant grin through the night. I was intrigued with this new plan of his. _Did he even realize what he just said?_ I would've quickened my pace if it wasn't for his hand wrapping around my wrist and stopping me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it, ok?" _By the comment or the kiss?_

"Fine."

"You can hold the door for me this time!" He cheered.

"Don't push it." I shoved him into the door, appreciating the way it swung open easily.

"Jerk!" He shrieked, as he too lost his footing and ended on the ground. I could see the outline of his hand rubbing the newly swelling bump in his head. I could imagine his pout, but it was too dark to see, and since I couldn't see the way his cheeks grew plump and floated with the same tint as a sweetly ripened peach, I also couldn't see as he stuck out a foot, tripping me effortlessly and bringing me down with him. I felt the cold concrete scrap my hands as the rest of my body landed on Takuya.

"Ow." I heard him moan before he started to struggle. His breathe burned my neck as I realized how dangerously close we were to each other. My hands were framing his head as my chest pushed on his. His breaths were strong enough to life me, his heartbeat increasing the pace of mind. I had him pinned, which meant that my knee was...

"Can you get off me now?" His voice returned to a volume barely audible. That's all it took though. I jolted up only to be pulled back down roughly by my head.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded. I heard him take a sharp breath before I was met with silence. His fingers continued to search for knots in my hair, but there weren't any to find.

"It's so soft." He stated dumbly. I didn't know what to say, but he seemed to snap back to reality. He offered an awkward chuckle as he started to rub at his head again. "Must've hit it harder than I thought. You're right, we should get some rest." He flipped us so he was on top, instantly on his feet and walking into the distance.

"Takuya?"

"Hmm?"

"You still gonna kiss me if I go to sleep?" I mocked. He didn't answer. _I guess only in my dreams._


	9. Welcome to My Nightmare

TAKUYA'S POV

"I believe the Forest Kingdom begins beyond that track." Bokomon states calmly, standing on a log next to Neemon who was struggling to keep his balance. I watched as a trailmon passed in the distance, following a track that was raised above the surrounding trees. _The Forest Kingdom sure looks big._

"Hey Bokomon, how much farther do we have to walk to the forest terminal?" JP questioned.

"A little bit more." Bokomon confirmed out of his need to respond to every question, whether he knew the answer or not.

"A little bit? These little bits are killing me!" JP moaned. I found it ironic that the little bits of walking are the only think keeping JP alive. _It's the lotta bits of food that will cause a problem._ Yet still, I said nothing. I didnt know that I'd be so glad to back with the others. Their usual complaints have yet to annoy me, as maybe im taking comfort in the fact that when I'm in a group, I can control myself, but when I'm alone with him... I looked back at Kouji. He hadn't spoken to me since last night. I didn't try to speak to him either. Did he know what thoughts I was struggling with? I mean, why else would I offer... _threaten!_ To kiss him. Like always, he was a ways behind the rest of the group, though he ran to catch up with me and Zoe when we took off down the forest path. I didn't think anything of it. The reason we were running was so we didn't have to hear JP and Tommy whine. Kouji's motivation must of been the same. But it was unefective. We still heard their grumbles from the top off the hill. Feeling tired myself I suggested we rest. My eyes returned to Kouji who uncomfortably shifted away. I looked down.

"It's been a long day for all of us." Zoe agreed.

"Yeah, whatever." Kouji muttered. His back was still to me, but I could tell he crossed his arms against his chest. I heard footsteps, I assumed it was Kouji going off on his one-man band trek, so I called for Zoe.

"She left." I think all I was able to let out was an 'oh'. "You're tired?" He asked me. I yawned. "Why?" I didn't think about his question before opening my mouth to speak.

"I didn't sleep..."

"Why not?" Cut me off.

"I couldn't." Ended the interrogation before I remembered the reason my eyes didn't shut. I had been looking at the door, waiting for Kouji to come back. But he never did. My fists tightened. "Where were you?"

"None of your damn business." His arms loosened as he turned to face me.

"I was waiting for you to come back."

"You need someone to tuck you in now, you're almost as pathetic as Tommy!"

"Watch it, Kouji." I growled. "I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I can take care of myself, y'know." A fact he had proven over and over again. I guess, I just wanted to be able to take care of him anyway. "If I had left the responsibility up to you, I would be dead."

"Maybe," I ignored his last comment, "I was waiting for you to come back so I could apologize."

"For what?" His question was simple. My answers were not _. For teasing you, for touching your hair, for wanting to... threatening to! kiss you..._

"For being weird." I settled.

"You're always weird." I narrowed my eyes as I looked into his gentle eyes. He had a grin as he pushed a few strands of hair back over his shoulders. I wanted to touch it again. In a trance I took a step closer to him, and maybe I would've reached out my hand even further if it wasn't for Zoe's voice as she held up something so beautiful.

"Look at what I found!" Rested in her palm, was an apple. "I hope it's edible." Well, why don't you bite into it. If you die, we'll become famous in the digital world as the author of a tale called Zo White. Bokomon can be Grumpy, Neemon can be Dopey, Tommy can be Bashful, JP can be Hungry, I can be Sleepy, and Kouji can be hot _... not!_ Happy... yeah... he can be... not happy... the second Grumpy. The understudy _, there we go_. I missed Bokomon's announcement that the fruit was called a meat apple. But hearing everyone repeat in surprise, a tendency that's become a bad habit for us, I became anxious to try one.

"Where'd you find that thing?" I asked.

"It was just lying on the ground." She smiled, turning to Bokomon. "There has to be a tree somewhere nearby." JP and Tommy started to laugh in excitement. "Will you help me find some more?" _How many dumb blondes does it take to gather apples?... At least they're not bananas._

"Certainly!" Bokomon began to follow, returning to grab Neemon by the waistband.

"Wait for me!" Tommy called, running after them. I turned to Kouji.

"I guess we better gather some firewood." Nervousness returned to my fingers as they went cold beneath the gloves. Luckily, JP went with us.

"I'm not gonna have to lift anything heavy, am I?" He asked. No, your primary job is to stop me from saying anything totally stupid. But Kouji wasn't satisfied with that purpose as he had finally had enough.

KOUJI'S POV

"If you don't stop bitching, JP, then we'll have to lift something heavy . Unless Takuya would let me leave you knocked out on the ground." I scuffed my foot against the dirt.

"Someone's being a sourpus." JP teased. I took a heavy breath.

"It's you, JP." Takuya admitted. I shot him a look. "You constantly remind us you're the oldest, yet you whine the most. None of us want to scavenge for food, or pick the firewood, but crying about it won't help." Takuya finished.

"Geez. You guys are worse than my parents." He whined.

"Tommy said the same thing." Takuya sighed, rubbing at his head. JP was lagging behind. I kept walking, not concerned with whether we lost him, but Takuya slowed his pace to match JP's heavy footsteps.

"Why are you slowing down?" I asked. He didn't look at me, though he offered a weak 'we should stick together'. "Even if that means we don't return with firewood until everyone already froze to death?" I glared at him in frustration. _I knew the others would never understand, but why can't you Takuya?_ "If you want something right, do it yourself." I chanted angrily.

Takuya yelled a "fuck off, no one needs you anyway" before I disappeared into the trees. I ended up circling around with a few pieces of wood. Feeling exhausted myself, I sat on the remains of a tree stump. Why am I allowing myself to rely on him, when I know I can't? I thought back to the day I first met him. He almost killed me that day. If it wasn't for Lobomon, I never would've survived that kind of a fall. Yet, something brought me comfort in his touch. And I couldn't have that. I yelled at him, ordering him to never touch me again. And then last night, I wanted to reinstate that order. He apologized for being weird. The problem with me, is that I'm not sorry.

TAKUYA'S POV

I kept rubbing it between my hands, proud of the fact it was starting to warm up. I didn't know why my anger left so quickly, despite the fact that Kouji was a complete and total ass with an ass I didn't mind watching walk away from me earlier. He was watching my closely as I created the friction to start the fire.

"Am I don't yet?" I asked him, falling back.

"Yeah, I'll take it from here." He leaned closer, blowing on the smoke. There was no 'good job', but there wasn't any comment about how long it took me either. I shouldn't complain at the silence, but it felt so wrong.

"I'm sorry I was being weird yesterday."

"I already told you, it's fine." He kept his eyes focused on the ember.

"And I'm sorry for what I said today... it's not true..."

"Takuya."

"We do need you..."

"Stop." He backed away from the growing flame, looking me straight in the eyes. "I never said I was a part of this team. I'm only here until I find something better to do, so stop trying to falsify these sentiments of us being a family just because you miss being part of one." _Is that what I was doing? Was I pretending like Zoe didn't bug the shit out of me because she was now like a sister, or that JP was the annoying older cousin that I once looked up to but then stopped when I realized he could no longer outrun me, nonetheless, run. Was Tommy replacing Shinya in my memories? And who was Kouji in this charade, really._ I took a deep breath before asking him the question I had intended to ask him last night.

"All five of us kids now how spirits of the legendary warriors, right?" He offered a weak mmhmm. "Then how come, even when we combined our forces, we still couldn't beat that stupid Grumblemon?" The blue of his eyes was so powerful as for the first time, he showed a sign of fear.

"At one point, we seemed to have the upper hand". His eyes narrowed in thought. "But then he digivolved into that crazy Gigasmon."

"But he called it beast spirit." I scooted closer to the fire, feeling my cheeks burn as I felt my leg touch his. "Just what does that mean?" I continued. "Any clue?" Hoping he, one, didn't notice. And two, wouldn't move away. He didnt, until we heard the others. He moved over, the rest of the group joining in to make a circle around the fire. Once they had the meat apples set to roast, I turned to Bokomon.

"Anything in your book about a beast spirit?" I asked. He said he didn't think so, which translated to me as he never looked. When I asked him to, he gave a lazy scan. If it wasn't for Neemon pointing out that one of the pages was folded over, I doubt he would've ever found it.

"This changes everything!" He gasped. "It seems there are two spirits for each of the legendary warriors!" My jaw wasn't the only one that dropped. "The first is the human spirit like Agunimon," he elaborated, "but the second is called the beast spirit, that explains where Gigasmon came from." _But how did he summon the beast spirit?_ The mood was quick to shift, as Neemon created a philosophical moment.

"I wonder what life would be like as a beastie." He pondered. _Aren't you already one?_ Bokomon was quick to jump on the opportunity though. With a snide smile, he snapped.

"Let's feed you to one and you can find out from the inside." I couldn't help but smile at that one. "Don't you realize, this means the children may have the power to digivolve again."

"Well then," Kouji spoke. "If Bokomon's right, each of us should be able to get a beast spirit." The whining began again. First with Zoe and then JP.

"But if that's true, then we're only half way there."

"Oh man, it's like starting over."

_Bokomon. Bokomon. Bokomon._

Tommy was the only with enthusiasm. "But if we get our beast spirits, maybe we can beat Grumblemon!"

"Well, I'm willing to give it a try. Beast spirit evolution here we go!" I cheered. Zoe, JP, and Tommy threw up their fists in determination as well. Kouji just stared into the fire, and I couldn't help but wonder. Maybe I did see this group as a family because I missed my own. But maybe Kouji refused to be a part of it because he didn't want to go back. But what would he be going back to?

_Bokomon. Bokomon. Bokomon._ I convinced myself that if I ignored Neemon's pleas for long enough that it would turn into background noise, like a clock keeping perfect, irritatingly persistent rhythm, that becomes silent after a while.

_Bokomon. Bokomon. Boko-ow._ Thank god Bokomon shut him up.

"What's the matter with you?!" He asked him before turning to us, "we have to help you find your beast spirits as soon as possible, after all it may be the only way to save the digital world. We haven't even made it to the forest terminal yet. We're running out of time. These beast spirits need to be our number one priority!" He raised his fist in the air as a leader.

"Nope, not good." Neemon chirped. Bokomon's fist stayed up as he turned, leaning his face close to Neemon's.

"What is not good." He challenged.

"The meat apples." Neemon said simply, holding his finger up in the air. "While you're talking," _more like lecturing, actually,_ "they're burning up!" All of us struggled to get our apples out of the flame. Even burnt they were delicious.

"Mine's like a meat bun!" JP cheered.

"This one tastes almost like a drumstick." Tommy smiled.

"I think I'm eating prime rib." I was definitely satisfied.

"Gingered pork." Kouji took another bite.

Zo White was the only one who didn't try hers yet. "Mine's Osso Buco!" She cheered before falling backwards in pure ecstacy. The only problem, there were two actually, was one, that she was sitting across from me. And two. She was wearing a skirt. Thankfully, the clouds came rolling, blocking off the night's sky and eliminating my view of her thighs.

"Something is happening." Tommy pointed out, using the stick his apple was on to point at something in the distance. Trees. Each trunk lit up with some picture displayed. "Wow, a TV." He was the first one to examine the moving images.

"Wow, Tree TV. I hope they're not all travel channels." Ok. I was starting to see Kouji's point about JP's whining. Each screen showed a landscape, unfamiliar to me. There was one of a mountain range, one that looked like a desert. Another one showed a plane taking off from the airport. Zoe approached the one with a field, informing us it was her school. She seemed to lose interest until something caught her eye.

"Oh look, the cherry tree's blooming!" She pressed her nose closer to the image as JP came over to her.

"I love cherries." He said. _Bummer he'll never get his popped._

_"_ My mother." We heard Tommy call. Everyone of us pushed to get a view of the woman on the screen. She was standing in the middle of the park where Tommy said he used to play. But this time, she was alone.

"You're mother's really pretty, Tommy." Zoe tried. _Always about looks with that one._ Without warning, the clouds started to pass and light returned to the forest floor. The screens began to fade, and Tommy was in hysterics shortly after.

"Mama, don't leave me!" I slung an arm over his shoulder, pulling him to me as I lead him back to the fire. We just sat as he sobbed. Zoe pulled her knees into her chest.

"I bet my mom is really worried about me." _For a second I agreed with that possibility, until I remembered, it's Zoe._

"C'mon little buddy," I offered him another apple, "It's hot dog."

"Tommy could be your little brother." The stupid bitch said. I don't even think she realized how offensive that really was. I couldn't even remember clearly what my brother looked like, but I certainly wasn't looking for a replacement. _Has it really been that long?_ JP unfolded his arms as he reached for Tommy's apple after the kid took a bite.

"Hey Kouji, are you falling asleep?" I called to him, knowing damn well that the volume of my voice would wake him up if he was.

"Sleep?" He mocked, "I'm lucky I'm not bored to death." He turned away, still resting his head on the trunk of a tree, and folded his arms.

"Hey bud, what's your problem." JP tried. I always hated when parents called their kids bud. It was kinda codename for "I fucking want to kill you right now." Shinya was always 'sweetheart'. I was always 'bud'. "He needs a nap."

"He's just grumpy." Zoe added as she walked over to us. "Hey JP, Tommy would like to see you do some of your magic."

"Magic?" _Really... could he make Zoe disappear?_ "Since when could you do magic?" I asked him.

"Since I was a kid myself." He sighed. _You still are one, JP._ "Ladies and Germs," he announced as he stood from the ground, "I present to you the magic of Howie Duthat." Zoe and I went along with it for Tommy's benefit. He wiped the last remaining tears from his eyes as he looked up expectantly.

"Observe. Nothing up my sleeves." _Or in his head._ He pulled out a red handkerchief, followed by a blue one. With a couple twists of his palm, he had them folded like a clothesline. Then, a couple more tugs and they were back to normal.

"Now how did he do that?" Bokomon mused.

"I guess that explains how he got his stage name." I applauded. I'll admit, I was somewhat impressed.

"It doesn't explain why he's so annoying." Kouji called to me before falling asleep. He hid it well, facing away from me, but I could see the way his chest rose and fell so effortlessly, and I swear I could hear the slightest of a snore. I didn't blame him. JP had continued to show off all off his magic tricks, even after we started to boo him and told him to get off the stage. _Where were the tomatoes when you needed em._

"This stinks. I did a spectacular performance tonight and I still have to watch the stupid fire." He glared at me then.

"Stop complaining. We drew straws and you lost, fair and square."

"I'm just wiped out from all the walking." His voice softened as he hugged his knees. "I think I need to pass out for a while." _Well, I'm not getting any sleep with JP complaining anyway. Might as well let him rest._ I was going to give him permission to start crafting a bed out of leaves, but he said my name. He was biting the inside of his cheek, as his eyes avoided my gaze.

"What's up?"

"Do you notice the way Kouji treats you?"

"Yeah," I scratched a bug I felt land on my nose, "like shit. The way he treats everybody." I rested my head on my hand as I laid back.

"No, it's not the same. Notice how he only talks to you?"

"I consider that lucky on your behalf. You wouldn't like it so much if he jumped on every opportunity he had to call you a fuck up."

"But it's not just that. Things have been different since we met up with each other again."

"What are you trying to say JP?" He tilted his head in thought, but Tommy's nightmare stole our attention. He was shaking in his slumber, clutching at the leaves so tight that they crumbled in his grasp. Quickly, he stood up, grabbing one of the sticks we had gathered for firewood.

"I won't forgive you." He said. "I'll never forgive you." He swiped the stick into the fire, directing it at us.

"Cut it out Tommy, this isn't funny." But to add to anti-comedy, he pulled out his D-tector before we could stop him, swiping it to become Kumamon. What he did next must've been cruel irony as he froze the fire JP had guarded.

"I'm tired of you bullying me!" He accused before sucking in a large amount of air, ready to shoot it back at us. "Crystal freeze!" The attack barely missed us, shattering a tree on impact. _He's gone completely crazy._

"I'm really sorry, Tommy." JP pleaded, beginning to run again as he came to the realization that "Sorry wasn't the magic word." _Maybe JP's magic is what got us into the mess to begin with._ _Some trick gone wrong. Terribly wrong._

Zoe, being the helpless damsel merely screamed as a tree almost fell on her. I guess it was effective enough as it got my attention just in time to tackle her to the ground. My heart didn't speed up the way it did when Kouji had fallen on me. I didn't try to keep my breath in out of fear that it would smell bad when entering the other's nose, and I didn't like the way her hair felt along my skin. It smelled of a cheap Italian restaurant, and it felt like microwavable strands of spaghetti dipped in heavy grease.

"How come Takuya gets to fall with Zoe?" _I was wondering the same exact thing._

"Run, you jerk." Kouji ordered. _Hey JP, you must've been reading too much into things earlier. Kouji's talking to you now too._ I saw as they barely avoided the third blast. Winded, JP suggested we spirit evolve and take him out. None of us went with it though, not even Kouji, the one that claimed we weren't a family and that it was every man for themselves. Kouji just yelled to run again, and I ended up following his lead. JP and Zoe ran down a different path though. As we stood, leaning on the body of a tree, a drop of sweat rolling down our faces, we watched as Kumamon approached.

"What was that?" Kouji asked me, and this time I knew I wasn't imagining things. As I looked into the treetops, Kouji digivolved into Lobomon. He became on obstacle in Kumamon's path, calling for the energy of the ancient spirit of light. Holding up his sword the rest of the darkness faded. I found what we had been looking for. Another digimon. I left him there to defend himself from Kumamon. _He better not touch a hair on that bear_! I digivolved as well, to better be able to follow its trail. All it took was a cleverly timed jump and I landed on his back, but it was quick to speed up and swerve to eject me from this bad excuse for a carnival ride. _Rotten little warthog._ It had tusks in the front, but I couldn't grip them. I fell off once we passed Zoe and JP. Bokomon, finally seeing the digimon, was able to tell us a little bit about it. Such as how its name was Bakumon, and its special attack was "Nightmare Syndrome". Pissed off like a matador that flew off of a bull, I charged at it. I flew into a purple gas and I was no longer agunimon.

I was Takuya, my hands playing through something familiar. It was his hair. This was the first time I saw his hair down, it was long, beautiful. He smiled at me, lowering his head slightly as his cheeks reddened. "Takuya." He purred, and then I felt it. The tip of his knife pressing into my chest. Before it could go in, he pushed me back, taking it to his hair. "Don't touch me." He yelled, his face back to that of a wolf's as he brought the knife to his hair. In one swift movement, he cut it off. "It's tainted now. You're tainted." JP and Zoe came out of the darkness, joining in the ritual. "Tainted." They'd say with a beat of a drum. "Tainted." _Is this real? I pinched myself, and for once, it worked the way it was supposed to._

"Get out of my head!" _At least I knew what was wrong with Tommy._ Wasting no time with my consciousness, I informed the others how Bakumon had convinced Tommy that we were his enemy. Tommy seemed to consider this, as he lowered his gun, giving me the perfect amount of time to create a spiral of fire and send it at the Bakumon. I purified it's code, thankful in the fact that Tommy went back to normal as well. Bakumon humbly lowered himself from the skies, apologizing to Tommy, though my nightmare was probably worse than what the brain of some child can conjure.

"I'm sorry. From now on, I promise I'll only send you good dreams." I was only concerned with one thing. I caught up with Kouji, walking beside him. His hair was still neatly pulled back into a ponytail, but most importantly. He didn't obliterate Tommy.

"Thanks Kouji. I'm sorry I ever doubted you." He looked at the sky, and I could see the reflection in his honest eyes. "I owe you one." I added.

"You don't owe me anything." _Oh yeah, I guess we would be even._ "Besides, you're the one that sensed something out there." _Was that a... compliment._ I choked on air as I stopped walking. His shoulders instantly sagged as his hands got deeper in his pockets. "I always heard savages rely on intuition."

"You really hate being nice, don't ya?" I looked away, trying to hide the disappointment in my tone. I looked back at him when I felt him staring at me. He had a smile on his face. The first real smile I had seen. No, I wasn't in a dream, and I was imagining things. The corner of his lips were pulled into what I first took to be a smirk, but it was more than that. It was what I thought to be the strengthening of our friendship, and though it may never be to the point where it is so strong that what I've been feeling won't break that friendship into a million tiny pieces to small to recollect, it'll have to do for now. I touched my fist to his in triumph before racing him back to the camp. He started the fire again as we made the leaf blankets. I offered him a space next to me, but he refused, returning to his spot below the tree. Without another thought, I fell asleep.

_"I'll kiss you." I yelled before I could even comprehend where I was. We were on the stairs leading back down to tunnels. A memory flashed, Tommy was asleep upstairs. Dizzily, I fell forward and landed on the ground. My hand shot up to rub the part of my head I hit. Mercilessly, I stuck out my foot, taking Kouji down with me. It didn't quite work out the way I had intended. He landed on me, kneeing me in the groin as I tried not to scream. I managed an "Ow". I looked up at him, our noses were touching. I knew the end of this story, but fuck it. If this is supposed to be a good dream... I pulled his head down onto mine, his lips parting as his tongue slid across my lip. He pushed his hips into mine, his hand slipping under my shirt as it slowly climbed up my skin like a spider. He pinched my flesh before kissing me again. Lust filled his eyes as he reached for my belt._ Long dream short, by the time I woke up, I had one less sock.


	10. Can't Keep a Grumblemon Down

TAKUYA'S POV

The fire was out, the sun barely overhead. The good dreams almost didn't feel worth it due to the nightmare that followed. Kouji was gone again. _What if something happened to him._ Without realizing it, I began to twist my shoelace around my fingers as the others paced. I didn't secure the knot until Tommy called us over, pointing out a note. It was _his_ handwriting, a messily drawn picture of Bokomon and Neemon functioning as their signature. It read, "I'm going on alone so I can actually get something done." So much for my speech about us needing him, about him being part of the team. Even in a note he sounds like a jerk.

"I guess he likes to be on his own." Zoe offered, putting a hand on my shoulder. But why would she feel the need to comfort me? Why would I be distressed by the thoughts of Kouji out there alone. Does she know that the only thing I resent about Kouji's disappearing act, that beat all of JP's tricks last night, is that he didn't take me with him? "Given this group", she continued, "Sometimes I understand."

Apparently, I wasn't the only one angry. JP reached over, swiftly ripping the note into as many pieces as he could. "He wants to be on his own? Fine!" And with a clap of his hands, the torn letter floated to the ground like dust.

Only one thing left to do. We have to find him, so I can convince him to stay, for real this time. Angrily, I kicked at a rock on the ground. When I was sure I had everyone's attention, I initiated my plan. "At least Kouji can take care of himself. But what about Bokomon and Neemon. You think Kouji will bother to worry about protecting them? Doubt it. We're gonna have to find them."In an instant, JP's fighting stance was dropped and he was on board. Tommy was running ahead calling out their names, while Zoe's hand finally removed itself from my shoulder. I hadn't even noticed it was still there, but she gave me a smile before walking off with the others.

For some reason, I couldn't get that smile out of my head, especially not now, as she was knelt down in the field sobbing. It was my turn to place a hand on her shoulder as I watched Gigasmon chase Kouji away. He had shown up just before JP and I had lost our spirits as well. Maybe it was no wonder why Kouji wanted no part of this. As Zoe asked us, "what good am I to you guys now?", I couldn't help but ask that same question. _What good am I to you guys ever?_ Once again, for the countless time, Kouji was fighting on his own as the rest of us struggled to get back on to our feet. But Kouji wasn't Lobomon this time. He was KendoGarurumon, another wolf descendent, with lasers and wheels under his feet. I didn't know he could get any cooler. According to Bokomon, it was his beast spirit. _Of course he would find his first._

"I could've done that." I saw JP flex out of the corner of my eyes. _I guess I know what you dreamed about, huh, big guy?_

But my attention returned to KendoGarurumon when I realized Kouji wasn't in control. He was slamming into things, moaning in what I could only take to be utter pain. Seeing this as his opportunity, Gigasmon charged. Bokomon pulled Neemon out of the way, but I couldn't move. I watched as they slammed into each other, a large cloud of dust picking up from the ground. I think I called for him, but it was so weak that I couldn't be sure. It wasn't until I heard Tommy yell that I knew what I witnessed really had taken place. They had fallen from the top of the cliff we were standing on, and landed somewhere in the oceans below. I ran to the edge, falling to my knees before crawling further.

"Kouji." I saw a splash as Gigasmon landed, and before I had time to scan the rest of the seas, a hand whacked me in the face. Kouji's hand.

"Can I come up now?" He asked me.

"You're alive!" Eagerly, I grabbed for his arm, trying to pull him back up. "You can't keep going off alone like that."

"Sorry, mom." He coughed.

"Seriously," I took a breath as I tightened my hold on him, "You had all of us worried." Once he was safe, I fell back, catching myself with my hands with a _thud._

"You've got to work on your hero skills. Rescue first, lecture later." He said as he fixed his bandana.

"Oh yes, chivalrous warrior who always puts others over his own desires. Thank you for the lesson in heroism."

"Whatever," he scoffed, "Need I remind you who saved your asses _again_ today?" He smirked, only to get that smirk wiped off his face by JP's punch.

"You call that saving us?" JP demanded as Kouji's wrist pressed to his nose to stop some of the blood. "You didn't save Zoe." JP clenched his fist, holding one up again. Kouji was quick to get back onto his feet, raising his own hands in front of his face.

"Hey, stop it!" I finally yelled, stepping between them. It was then that I realized JP blamed me as well, as he readied for another strike.

"C'mon guys." Tommy whined, "We can't fight with each other if we ever want to be strong enough to beat Gigasmon." JP offered an angry huff before walking back over to Zoe. He gave Tommy a pat on the head before starting a conversation with her.

"Are you okay?" I turned to Kouji, watching as a few more drops of blood fell from his porcelain face.

"I'm fine." He said before he too began to walk away, changing his mind and turning back to me accusatorily, "but I'm better than fine when we don't have to waste our time babysitting them." _We?_ "Though if I started getting paid by the hour maybe I wouldn't mind so much." He mused, flicking a piece of hair out of his eyes. And I knew that he was talking about how he always got us out of trouble, and how he would always have to finish the battles that we would start. But for some reason, when he started talking about a payment plan, my thoughts went straight to trading money for other justifiable services. _How many weeks' allowance would it take to exchange for that?_ Sinking down in the grass, I waited for the others to walk away. I looked down, uncovering my hands from my lap. Turns out, a Grumblemon isn't the only thing I can't keep down.


	11. Hunka Hunka BurningGreymon

Kouji's POV

And there he was, surprise in his eyes, as I emerged from behind a tree. "Takuya." A harsh gasp of air left his lips as he turned to me in either sadness or in guilt. With a bite of his lip, he opened his mouth to speak only to shut it instantaneously and avert his eyes to the ground. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd get some fresh air." He replied quickly, forgetting that we haven't slept in shelter for days.

"Fresh air?" I asked. He just hummed as he began to walk away. "At five in the morning?"

"Couldn't sleep." He faked a yawn before waving a sheepish goodbye.

"I wouldn't say that's unusual." I took a step closer to him as he stopped in his tracks. "Since you've been following me every morning this past week."

And just like that, his charade came to an end. "It's not my fault that you have some need to go off an do everything on your own." He crossed his arms across his chest as a pout came to rest on his cheeks. "Look, I've seen what your beast spirit can do, and you don't have to tame it alone, Kouji." I felt my body tense as I glared at him sharply.

"If you know what my beast spirit can do, you should stay the hell away from me when I'm training. I could rip you to shreds."

"Yet you wouldn't." He glared back and me just as intensely before a very annoying, over confident smirk ghosted his features.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am." He softened his eyes, offering a simple shrug before he turned away from me again. "Remember. You're not alone."

By the time the sun had risen, I had finished my morning routine. My joints ached from fatigue, my bandana drenched in sweat. I hadn't made any real progress and I blame Takuya. That damn brat. I leave the others so I can focus, but he, who captures my thoughts more than anyone else, is the one to come after me. I heard Zoe's voice, feint, from the distance and I had to slow and ponder why it was Takuya didn't follow her. She too had gone off every morning as well, most likely moping about her missing beast spirit. Surely, Takuya would agree, she shouldn't have to mope _alone_ either.

"It's ok Tommy, what happened wasn't your fault." She comforted softly, though she was the one in need.

"Well, the next time I see that guy I'll get your spirit back even if I have to do it by myself!" JP promised. Though we all knew his emotions would only get in his way.

"Why would you want to do something like that?" Neemon asked, Bokomon quick to analyze the situation; "Based on your last encounter, I don't think that would be very wise."

"So what?! Sure beats sitting around here doing nothing." Though he didn't bother to stand up. "She needs my help." And the sad thing was, I think he truly convinced himself of this.

"You have a one track mind buddy." Takuya was back at camp too. "We can't just run out and fight. We have to get to the forest terminal." Agreeing with his statement, I leant against a tree just a foot behind the group. I don't think they noticed me though- while JP couldn't even notice there was logic in Takuya's words.

"So what, we just let him win? I can't just sit back and let Grumblemon run around with Zoe's spirit." _And what is it exactly that you're doing now?_

"It's ok JP." Zoe tried again, getting upset.

"No it's really not ok Zoe." He took scooted closer to her, only to have her flinch away. "The spirit of wind is yours and you were destined to find it. So we are going to get it back for you." At this point, I had heard about enough of the knight in shining armor speech from the buffoon.

"Nice sentiment." I said, earning a startled glance from Tommy and Takuya. "But we have more important things to do than fight a battle we can't win."

"What is your problem Kouji?" For the first time, JP looked away from Zoe. "You'd be going crazy if your spirit was stolen." I wouldn't never _let_ that happen _._ "But hey, I understand if you're afraid. Even the great Kouji has no chance against Grumblemon."

"What?!" I felt my hands turn into fists and JP was about to start something again. My bruise may have faded, but if he tries to throw a punch again he'll be sorry. He stayed seated, rolling his eyes though he wasn't daring enough to get any closer.

"Who cares if you have your beast spirit. You can't even control it." He teased, his nose high in the air.

"Hey stop it." Tommy stepped in front of me. _As if I couldn't push my way past the kid._

"Knock it off JP." Takuya ordered.

"You're on his side?" He accused. "Guess I'm not surprised." There was no denying the blush that breezed across Takuya's face. "Am I the only one that wants to help Zoe?" JP flailed his arms in astonishment.

"Guys, forget it. Let's just go to the forest terminal." Zoe tried again, but JP was just so damn convinced that he was right.

"Don't you start talking crazy too." He pleaded, though the conversation had definitely come to an end.

"Alright, that's it." Bokomon snapped, shutting everyone up. "I've heard enough. I think it's time to do something more productive than stand her and argue." Perhaps I should've been worried when Bokomon told us to be productive, but I really did think that productivity would lead us here. I was standing behind Takuya who had collapsed moments ago, clutching the ground out of breath.

"I can't do it Kouji." _He knew I was watching?_ Hesitantly, I approached him, taking a seat beside him as I began to study his face, eyes lost in hopelessness.

"What was it you told me yesterday about not having to do it alone?" A single, frustrated tear made its way down his face as he wiped it off. It was then I saw the condition of his hands. Both were cut deep, bleeding with pieces of rock embedded in the once tanned skin. Without a thought, I grabbed his wrist, holding his hand in front of me as I memorized each scratch and wound. I thought my beast spirit was tough, but this spirit of BurningGreymon was tearing Takuya apart. "You're done." I said. I loosened my hold on his wrists, only to have him stand. Without warning he swung a fist. At first, I thought he was aiming for me- but his knuckles scraped along the bark of the tree a sidestep away. "Takuya". I tried, but he couldn't hear me. He was acting the same as he was yesterday, destructive, trying to crush anything in his way. I couldn't break his trance then. If it wasn't for Tommy, I don't think Takuya would've changed back. But this time, I wasn't looking at a transformation. I was looking at Takuya in his human form, struggling to control this new power inside of him. And I stood there with a foreign feeling. Complete uncertainty of what I should do.

"Takuya." I had no voice left. I thought it was over as his shoulders dropped and his hands pleasantly rested at his sides. But the next second he pounced, tackling me to the ground with my hands pinned above my head. His other hand made its way to my hair as he struggled to untie the knot. It was déjà vu, the way his body perfectly pressed into mine. And while I had my knee positioned perfectly between his legs to make my strike, I couldn't move. I watched as the fire in his eyes, slowly, miserably, dulled. And, as if he had been touching a flame, he pulled his hand from my hair. The second he released my arms, I wrapped them around his neck, smashing his lips on to mine. Maybe I can blame my own beast spirit for taking over my conscious thoughts- but all I wanted in that moment, was Takuya Kanbara. And I got it.


	12. Fear and Loathing

KOUJI'S POV

I woke up in the same tangled mess that had brought me slumber. Takuya was on top of me still, his head resting on my chest. My fingers were clutching his hair as they had been when I forced him down, nothing at all had changed. I couldn't remember how long that kiss had lasted. A part of me wanted to believe that we both fell unconscious due to lack of oxygen. Not the fact that we willingly lowered our guards in the middle of this forest terrain- not that the training we had both done over the past few days finally caught up to us- not that, despite being stronger, we were both still weak.

"Takuya." I tried, playing with the band of his goggles before I shifted his hat back into place. Reaching up to fix my own bandana seemed to wake him up, though he snuggled closer into my chest. I denied the fact that I thought it was cute, the way he yawned. But that yawn quickly turned into a wet sneeze, and his body pillow quickly turned into the ground.

"Thanks, Takuya." I offered as I took of my jacket, looking for anything to wipe his snot onto. He replied with a confused sigh before standing up and rubbing his head.

"What happened?" He asked, before using his hand to wipe his nose.

"You fell asleep." I said, finding nothing to clean my jacket. I tied it around my waist pretending it wasn't freezing in these early morning hours.

"For how long?" He asked, peeling over as a string of liquid fell to the ground. "And how the hell did I get sick?"

"I don't know. Maybe you caught it from me. For what it's worth, I feel better now." I scoffed as he glared.

"Of course you do, Kouji. You are just the type of bastard that would take joy in watching others suffer." He took a spit before continuing, " _Especially_ if it's someone you hate as much as me." He tried to blow his nose into a leaf, but he ended up just smearing the mucous against his cheek. Something in what he said bothered me.

"Hate?" I asked him, and he quirked his eyebrows quickly before approaching me with a smile.

"Hey, Kouji?" He questioned. I answered with a 'hn' before his hand reached up. I thought that had was going to rest on my cheek, but when I saw it's intention I backed away quickly with a "hell no."

"C'mon, I have to use something." He tried to swipe at it again, only to have me slap his arm heavily. "You know, it would be worth so much more if it was both an accessory and a hankerchief." He reasoned.

"Takuya, back off. Don't even try." He laughed at me then before his shoulders dropped in defeat and he wiped his shimmering nose on his arm. Scratching at my head, I threw my jacket at him. "It's close enough to ruined anyway. Use that." At my suggestion, even he seemed disgusted, but by the time the next sneeze built up, he was over it.

"Don't you think, maybe we should talk?" I asked, avoiding his gaze at all costs.

"Oh, sure." We started walking back in the directions of the camp. "Do you think they'll be worried about us?" Takuya asked.

"Worried about you maybe." I shrugged.

"Hey," he stopped. "That's not true. They worry about you too, you know."

"Not what I said." I shook my head before easing Takuya's curious stare, "Knowing them, they assumed we were out all night fighting. They know I can take care of myself, so that means they'd only have to waste time worrying about you."

"If that's the kind of logic that goes through your head, I'm glad I can't read minds."

"Well I can't either, which is why I wanted to talk." I said, starting to grow annoyed.

"We are talking." He said through sniffles, now rubbing the sleep out of his eye.

"I meant, about last night."

"Ok. Where do we go from here?" He sighed, seeming bored. I tripped over my feet before hesitating further.

"Where do you want us to go?"

"I don't know." He hid his hands in his pocket before kicking at the ground. "I guess the next step would be finding a way to get Zoe's beast spirit back right?" I stopped dead in my tracks, angrily pivoting towards him. I threw a weak punch but he easily blocked it. "What's that for?"

"Are you serious?" I demanded, kicking at his foot. "Are you so much of a coward that you're not even going to address what happened yesterday?"

"Coward?" He yelled back. "What do you want me to say? That I wrecked another part of the forest because I couldn't control BurningGreymon? That I'm weak and despite training my hardest I never feel like I've improved? What am I supposed to say, Kouji? I'm tired." Takuya crossed his arms with a sad huff. "I'm not afraid of this power anymore. I just, can't fully control it yet. But thanks for always doing your best to make me feel worse." He turned away from me and began to stomp off. I easily stopped him, grabbing his arm and flipping him back to face me. He looked into my eyes for what felt like ever before I asked.

"Do you not remember?" He looked at me strangely before tucking a piece of hair behind his ear and breaking our gaze.

"What am I supposed to remember?" I stayed silent, my hand still wrapped around his arm as we caught our breath. "All I remember is losing control again. And now, hours later, I'm out here with you. Did I attack you again?" Wordlessly, I just shook my head no. _Quite the contrary, really._ I let go of his arm, watching him walk away slowly. Every couple of steps he'd look over his shoulder to see if I was following, but he gave up shortly. _And while I had called him the coward, I knew I would never be brave enough to show him my feelings again._


	13. Better and Egg Than and Eggshell

KOUJI'S POV

It was difficult, walking alongside Takuya for the whole duration of our wandering. The entire time, I was just waiting. Just waiting, for him to remember. For him to yell at me in front of everyone, banish me from the group that he alone had convinced me to join. For him to throw a punch, though it would hurt more than what I received from JP, (who was, of course, currently whining about the distance we had to travel on foot.) To tell me I was disgusting. To confirm what everyone else in my life had already claimed.

Here it comes, I braced myself, when his face flushed red and his eyes widened, ready to exclaim. But all that came was an enthusiastic announcement that we had arrived, finally, at "the forest terminal".

Other than a few trees in the distance, a wooden sign, and the seven of us, there was nothing else in sight. "Wasn't there supposed to be a Trailmon here?" I asked Takuya. But he didn't respond. It wasn't until Zoe chirped in that Takuya spoke up, babbling pointlessly about how it was probably on its way back, that there was no need to worry, to keep our hopes up. Tommy bowed his head a little lower- maybe, just maybe, he has started to realize that most of the time, we have little more knowledge of how this world works than he does.

JP, of course, was the first to notice a building, blending into the condensing fog. "Who cares about the Trailmon? There's a restaurant!" He cheered, tripping over himself as he attempted to run, most likely the first time since Tommy had attacked us. The restaurant was called "Pasta Temple", and seemed welcoming enough. The smell of steamed soba noodles drifted closer to us as we followed JP to the entrance. The bird digimon behind the counter greeted us immediately, informing us that the first meal was free. That's all it took for JP to let go of all of his exaggerated fatigue and jump for joy, (despite his legs being "dead" as he had complained about just minutes before.) He charged forward, disappearing around a corner. By the time we caught up, he had already taken a seat, thumping his hands impatiently on the table, drool forming in the corner of his overly pouty lips.

We all watched as the bird tossed seven eggs into the air, breaking each one using his beak with such precision. Each one landed beautifully into a porcelain bowl filled with noodles and sauce. A pair of chopsticks was placed beside each bowl, but I believe I was the only one that noticed them. Everyone else grabbed a bowl and practically dunked their heads in. After slowly engaging a bite, I was thankful. I only had to suffer a minuscule amount of the sickening flavor before gently lowering the utensil. Everyone else started to gag, trying to dry the broth from their chins, and plugging noses as to avoid the stench. They started yelling at the chef before their stomachs growled and they calmed down, Bokomon trying to soften the blow as he respectfully declined the bird's kind offer. However, the bird did not appreciate our feedback. Zoe mocked him further, Takuya now also riled up. Not wanting to see the event take an even uglier turn, I quickly excused myself before exiting the diner and softly asking the skies why I'm even here. With them.

I don't know how much time passed, but the sun was more faded, closer to the horizon that it had been when I first walked away. Time always passes like this when I think about him. His cheeks that redden the same shade when he's either embarrassed or angry. His eyes that narrow in either annoyance or amusement. The way he brushed his other fingers over his thumb, within the glove on his left hand, when he's thinking. And the way he scratches as his temple when he obviously wasn't. And his lips. How soft they were when they pressed against mine, shy, and afraid, but still like fire. But now, where was his flame? It dulled, the way he stood behind me, waiting for someone else to take the lead. So I did.

"Let's go." I called to them. They all looked up surprised. Maybe they weren't expected me to say anything, or maybe the silence had lasted so long that any noise brought them out of a trance. I don't know. But they didn't argue. With grumbles, and whispers about danger, and what could lie ahead, they began to follow. It was hard to make out any of the ruins we passed, as the mist intensified. It was impossible to see a few steps ahead, so we stayed together, bumping into each other passively with every other step. My arm brushed Takuya's, and I felt him flinch. Next thing I knew, he was in the back, and I was walking next to Zoe who was shivering and whimpering about the cold. I wasn't about to give her my jacket though. It still had Takuya's snot all over it, and at this point, it was the only thing bringing me warmth.

"This place is empty too." I announced, after examining some of the railings at the terminal.

"Yeah, and just a little bit creepy." Zoe agreed, and she was right. There were no whistles from the mountain tops, or ticks of far-off wheels scraping on the tracks. There was no sign of a trailmon. There was no sign of life at all.

"Keep your eyes peeled, guys." Takuya warned. I could hear his gulp as he prepared himself for whatever was going to happen next.

"For what? All we can see is fog!" JP pointed out. I wish that's all we could hear as well.

"There have to be some people here." Takuya reasoned.

"But, what if they're all ghosts?" JP asked, slowing his pace even more though I didn't think that was possible. The train tracks lead into a tunnel, so narrow and long that we couldn't see any light from the other side. Beside the opening, there was a cave that seemed to extend upward. There were ridges in the floors that functioned like stairs, and without much contemplation, we began to climb. Maybe, it would bring us to the top of some mountain, some plateau, so we could see above the fog. At this point, that seemed safer than pushing forward blindly.

"We have no choice but to keep walking." Takuya stated after our legs began to wobble.

"This world sure loves its walking," JP moaned before biting is lip, Or maybe, this world just hates you. I fought the urge to look down, as there was nothing stopping us from falling to our shattering deaths. But in front of us, was an opening, onto a large tree branch. The steps continued, as did we, but it was not long before we came to a section of the log that lead out into two separate branches. Tommy's D-Tector began to buzz, and somehow he determined we should all stick to the right. We didn't even question it. Maybe that's how exhausted we really were. We just shrugged our shoulders, and carried on. That is, until we came face to face with a dead end, large branches blocking the way. This time, JP's device lit up, and out of no where, a breeze came, separating the path and before another breeze returned, blowing us to the unforgiving ground below, we moved forward. Last beep we heard came from Zoe's D-Tector, and the fog quickly faded away. Nothing happened to mine. After staring at it for a few more seconds, I looked up. In front of us, but a few yards, was a castle. The way the light reflected, and the walls shined, it looked as though it was made from glass.

"It's beautiful." Tommy said, taking off his hat to get a better view.

"Doesn't mean it's not dangerous." I lectured, but I don't think he heard me.

"What if this is where the person from our D-Tector lives?" Tommy asked, "we did get a message to come here." He had a point, but what did we know about the voice anyway? How do we know it's an ally?

"Well, should I knock?" JP asked, but his wrist was already raised, arm stationed to make a hit.

"I still don't think it's safe." I pressed, but he opened the doors opened anyway. Glancing quickly at the eyes of the other "chosen" ones, I knew it was too late to turn back. They wouldn't be satisfied until they knew the answers to all of their questions. Even the ones that very well might put us in danger.

"I say we go in." Zoe said as she began the trek. "How bad can it be? Sleeping Beauty used to live in a castle."

"Yeah, well she was raped multiple times." I said it harsher then I meant to, and it earned me a glare from JP, who then covered Tommy's ears like a protective big brother. Zoe rolled her eyes, though she stopped in her tracks. Takuya was the one to approach the next door first, and I couldn't let him go alone so I tried to silence the voices in my head telling me this was the stupidest decision we could've made, and I went along with it.

TAKUYA'S POV

The second the door opened, I had a staff pointed at my chest. It was a digimon, that looked like Wizardmon, but was a different color. He called us scum before threatening to demolish me, yet everything about him was calm.

Everyone else was a few feet behind me, and now seeing the imminent threat, they seemed hesitant to go further. Though I would never admit it. That terrified me. I was two feet away from some sort of fatal blast, and they were doing nothing to help me out.

"We can beat him." I encouraged, "Just like how we beat Gigasmon!" C'mon guys, this is an uncomfortable situation! Do something.

"But Gigasmon is one of Cherubimon's goons?" The wizard said, narrowing his eyes at me under his pointed hat.

"Yeah!?" I felt the sweat begin to fill my gloves.

"So you're not allies with Cherubimon?" And there it was. Zoe's giggle.

"Are you kidding?" She giggled more, though refusing to get any closer. It wasn't until Kouji took a step forward that I felt some relief.

"Look, why don't you put that wand down ok? We're all on the same side. Isn't that obvious?" Since when did Kouji deliver speeches on teamwork?

The wizard resigned, lowering his staff as he nodded he bowed his head in a mix of shame and remorse. "This is what comes of fighting too much." He admits, "Everyone seems to be an enemy. I apologize friends. How did you find this place?"

"We got a message that told us all to come to the forest terminal, but there was no one there, and when we kept walking, we ended up here on your doorstep.

"Hmmm. A message. Could it be?" He asked himself before beckoning us inside. "My solitude has driven common curtesy from me, I apologize. My name is Sorcermon. Please, come in, I have something important to show you."

I locked eyes with Kouji, and instantly regretted it. There was something there that I had never seen before. Worry. It reminded me that though it worked out in the end, that what had just occurred, couldn't be considered anything other than a close call. I need to be more careful. It's what he told me with his eyes, but I'm not how.

"Where are you taking us?" I heard Kouji's voice. It brought me back to reality. I was no longer staring into his eyes, though the colors were ingrained in my thoughts, but we were walking next to each other again, following Sorcermon down the long circular halls. "I bet it's a trap." Kouji prodded. But Sorcermon said nothing.

Only Tommy replied, "You think everything is a trap." Before silence enveloped us again. The moment we walked into the room of prophecy, our D-Tectors lit up, releasing the spirit of Seraphimon. Both digimon promised an explanation of who we were, but all they gave us were more questions, and answers containing riddles and big words. If anyone could understand what they were saying, it would be Kouji. But I haven't talked to him since our last argument. Before any of us could dig deeper, Kouji's fear come to life.

It had been a trap. It just wasn't Sorcermon who had set it up. Knowing we had no where to run, Gigasmon and his team chose this moment to burst through the glass, surrounding us. They were outnumbered, but something still felt wrong. They easily dodged all of our attacks, before taking us out in one quick sweep. For them being a band of selfish, self-centered villains, you'd think their teamwork skills would be worse than ours, but no. They attacked as one, and with a painful collision, we became embedded in the stone walls.

That was all it took. With fatique, hunger, and pain setting in, the four of us returned to our human form. Part of my shoulder was impaled on a shard of the rock. As everyone else doubled over and fell to the ground, I couldn't move. Kouji was there in less than a second, reaching a hand to me. But I wouldn't take it. I couldn't take it. Maybe if I did, we could've ran like Seraphimon said, though knowing how stubborn I can be, I doubt I would've listened even if I had the choice. He told us he couldn't win this battle and protect us as well. But it was my fault- my stupid pride, that he had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Mercurimon, one of Cherubimon's guys, shot a blast in my direction. Seraphimon took the hit protecting me, and in just a few blinks, fully disintegrated. Unlike the other digimon we defeated in the past, his fractal code didn't completely disappear. He turned into an egg. I tried to reach for it, but I was still stuck against the wall. Without warning, JP grabbed onto my arm, dropping a hand behind my back and pulling me up. Zoe managed to grab the egg, and with one last illusion, Sorcermon shot off a blinding ray of light that reflected amongst all the glass. With the slight aversion, we were able to get away, but it wouldn't take long for them to catch on. Sorcermon revealed one more secret exit, and before us was the trailmon we had been searching for. We wasted no time boarding the train, but I should've known. I should've done something. Instead, as the train began to roll away, only then, did I look back. Sorcermon had no plan to join us on this mission. He was at the end of his journey. With his feet planted firmly to the ground, it was obvious he was going to stay and fight, even if he knew it was a battle he could not win. In that moment, feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders, I vowed to do the same. I wasn't going to let anyone's sacrifice be in vain. And I will protect my friends.

For now, the egg of Seraphimon was the most important thing for the digital world. It might even be it's last hope. Everything has been my fault, and I'm going to make it right, or die trying.


	14. No Whamon

KOUJI'S POV

I was almost thrown off as the trailmon made a rapid turn, propelling us forward through the tunnel’s tracks. Water once gathered on the ground splashed up, blinding me as I felt one of my hands begin to slip.

“Could you go any faster?” I asked, but my sarcasm wasn’t detected. The trailmon sped up as I heard Takuya mutter something under his breath. He didn’t say anything to me, just yelled to the back of the train asking Zoe if everyone else was ok.

“We’ve been better.” Zoe offered, moments before hearing JP barf over the railing.

“Just hang on to your bandana!” The trailmon ordered before making another sharp turn at a fork in the tunnel. Without warning, he accelerated, flying off the tracks as he shot towards another one down below. We landed roughly, but I could still hear Bokoman’s cry through the crash that this roughness wasn’t good for the baby. Thankfully, that was the last of it as we slowed down to a stop. Instantly, Takuya and I jumped off while everyone else took their time to rid their nauseousness. Takuya, legs weak, fell to the ground. I offered him a hand, but he didn’t take it. He didn’t even look in my direction. Just stood up on his own in due time and walked over to the others.

I started walking further down the trail, figuring they’d catch up. Their footsteps remained slow, and when Tommy asked where I went, I heard JP respond “Who cares?”, and Takuya laugh. Zoe told them it wasn’t funny, and that we should stick together, but this just made me increase my pace. A little farther ahead, there was light shining through. I let out a sigh I didn’t realize I was holding in at the thought of fresh air, but it simply led to an underground cavern, full of shallow water and shadows. I eased myself down one of the slopes before the others arrived.

“This doesn’t look like outside to me,” JP whined, “does this look like outside to you?” He asked them as if there was a point. He might be the idiot who can pull of dumb optical illusions, but this was obviously no trick of the eyes. However, when Takuya came up to me, standing next to me, I wasn’t so sure it was real. Wordlessly, he started scaling the wall, feeling each crevice as if it would reveal an exit. Either out of shock, or the inability to think of a better plan, I mimicked his motions, going in the opposite direction as to create distance between us again.

“Maybe we passed an exit back in the tunnel,” Zoe bit her lip in thought, “is worth a shot.” She decided, looking to Takuya for approval. I didn’t like the way my stomach tightened when he shrugged, backed away from the wall and offered a smile. There was more pain in my ribs then when I fell from the kumamon’s cottage during my fight with Grumblemon. And I wasn’t sure how it got there, or how to heal it this time. My plan was to ignore it, but what happened next took my mind off of things anyway. A geyser erupted from the ground, engulfing JP and Tommy and throwing them against one of the walls.

“Tommy!” Takuya and I yelled in unison, trying to find a way to get down to their level. They both choked out water as JP helped Tommy up.

“Hey,” he called to us as he spit out the last bit of excess water. “How come no one called my name?” Cause no one likes you.

Apparently the gods of the digital world don’t like us either. Next up, another large geyser shot up from the ground, followed by a whale digimon that Bokomon identified as Whamon. At first, the digimon was scared, rocking side to side neurotically in the underground cavern, but Takuya and I were able to calm him down. We shared the first words we had to each other in a while, digivolving and taking a defensive strategy to get his aggressiveness in check. Once his panic attack faded, he started crying. I didn’t know it was possible for someone to shed more tears that Tommy, but the whale’s tears were practically starting to flood the caves. He explained how Grumblemon had taken a fragment of his ocean’s fractal code, and that all that was left was the cavern. As if overhearing his name, Grumblemon appeared, ready to fight.

Although we never had to fight Whamon, it was obvious Takuya and I were still a bit fatigued from the act of digivolving itself. We fell pretty quickly. Embarrassingly so. Arbormon, Grumblemon’s sidekick, extended his wooden arms and tightened the hands around our necks. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t pass out. Instead, our fractal code displayed itself and I thought that was going to be the end of Lobomon and Agunimon.

  
I have to admit, JP impressed me. The whole time he had been mumbling about pain in his stomach. I assumed this pain was food related as usual, but it seemed he had suffered a valid injury when he was pushed against the wall earlier. Tommy and JP both spirit evolved, though they didn't last any longer than we did. What impressed me was what happened next. Whamon used his spout to blast Grumblemon against the rock wall. This bought JP just enough time to notice as his beast spirit emerged. He scanned it, turning into MetalKabuterimon. But it was different. He was out of control for just a few seconds, blasting three attacks at the ceilings. But that’s all it took for him to adjust. The legendary warrior of thunder had already tamed the beast inside him. He was ready to fight, and unlike us, his only targets were now the actual enemies. Narrowing his aim, he sent one final blast at Grumblemon. And that was the end of it. It seemed too simple once you think back to it. Out of all of us, he was the one to get Zoe's beast spirit back, just like he said he would.

There was no time for celebrating though. The damage had already been done though. The earlier attacks against the cavern had caused it to crumble. The water above us started flooding in, and I think, from lack of air from being strangled and the inability to breath in the water rapids, I passed out. When I woke up, we were all somewhere dark. It ended up being Whamon’s mouth. He had taken us in to shield us from the water until he reached the surface. He opened his teeth, allowing us to once again see the rays of sun. We were headed towards an island. Another interesting chapter awaits, I'm sure.

 


	15. Beastie Girl

TAKUYA'S POV

 

“You know," JP started, "I can't help but point out that it’s almost summer and we’re at a beach!” Zoe _giggled_. Any hope I had that Zoe had outgrown that since the start of our adventure disintegrated into sand. _Does time even pass the same way in the digital world?_

"It's like summer vacation!” Tommy cheered, distracting me from my thoughts. “Waves!” He said, wobbling his arms out like he was trying to balance on a surfboard.

"Shell hunting!” Zoe daydreamed.

"Lots of sunshine!” JP took a stretch, letting the sun wash upon his skin. Kouji didn’t say anything. He just kept walking, hands in his pockets and looking just as moody as he always did.

  
"Put it all together, and you’ve got the beach, baby!" I joined in, resting my foot on a rock and overlooking the ocean. With the heat, it would be nice to take a quick swim. My outburst got Kouji’s attention though.

“Takuya, aren’t you forgetting something. We’re supposed to be on a mission.” He scowled. "We'd be stupid to let our guard down now.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault your pale skin would get burnt in seconds." I teased, “Just cause you’d look like a crab doesn’t mean you have to be so crabby. Just enjoy it Kouji.” I saw something in his expression change. His eyes widened a little as his shoulders went limp. He didn’t say anything though, just stood there as Zoe pointed out we earned a little break, and JP told him to stop being a party pooper. Tommy, spouting one of his annoying pouts, seemed to agree.

“Fine," I heard Kouji breathe, "I'm obviously outnumbered.” He muttered, as Bokomon pointed out a sea shack a little ways in the distance. It seemed like the perfect place to relax, get some food and maybe some beach equipment.

The shack was called Toucan Paradise. Like usual, Kouji was skeptical. While Tommy thought the vibe was very homey and comfortable, Kouji suggested there was something suspicious about it. Too convenient, he said.

We were greeted shortly after by four small Toucanmon, Bokomon giving us a brief overview of their stats, mocking their attack and appearance. It seemed they didn’t hear, because they still welcomed us with open arms.

“Honored guests,” the one in the front said, “we welcome you to Toucan Paradise.”

"Thank you Mr. Toucanmon,” Tommy said, “we’re honored you’re honored.”

“Ya, we’re honored, but we’re broke.” Kouji announced. Always one to point out the good.

"Oh please, what’s a few digi-shackles amongst friends?” Friends? We never even met you before. “And it just so happens," The toucanmon continued, “today, everything is on the house, by which I mean free, not served on the roof.” As our future waiter, he took a bow, hand across his apron. His friend wearing a chef hat apologized for his dumb joke, but still, I thought it was better than one of JP’s. I’ll admit, Kouji had a point about everything being a bit too convenient, but I didn’t give it another thought once the set the food out.

We each had our own variation of ramen noodles, with beef, chicken and vegetables. The spread looked amazing. Even Kouji didn’t hesitate to take a bite.

Was it cooked to perfection? No way, but it was the best meal we’ve had since arriving in the digital world.

"Oh man," I laughed, rubbing a hand along my stomach. “I'm so enjoying the taste of these overcooked ramen noodles with rubbery egg.” I did another maneuver with my chopsticks to get as many noodles as I could in one go.

Zoe giggled again, “this is the best lumpy curry I've ever had!”

“You're weird," Kouji declared, looking between the two of us confused. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?:”

"Dude, don’t you get it!” JP chimed in, "It's real food like home, not some kinda crazy meat-tasting rabbit food.” Should I be surprised that JP is the best at playing food critic? I couldn’t have explained it better myself. Nor would I have. After taking our first few bites, it had become obvious just how hungry we all were. None of us were even chewing our food anymore, just slurping and swallowing in a rush to devour more. I noticed a speckle of sauce jump onto Kouji’s face, and without thinking of it, I reached my napkin up to wipe it away. He didn’t push me away from him like I was expecting, but he didn’t look like he approved of the action either. The next time it happened, he made sure to wipe the broth on the back of his hand before anyone else had the chance to take action.

Once we finished eating, we thanked the crew. Three of them took our plates and dishes and went back into the kitchen, while the other one revealed to us their summer special. Swimsuits, beach towels, rafts, boogie boards. Everything we needed to complete our relaxing day at the beach.

Since we are all, (other than Kouji and I), different sizes, it was easy to pick out a swim suit that would fit. I thought I felt eyes on me while I was changing, but when I turned to look at Kouji, he was no longer in the changing room. Neither was Tommy. JP was struggling a little bit to pull up the rest of his spandex, but I didn’t wait around. He'd have no problem finding his way to the water by himself. He followed a couple seconds after, but there was still no sign of Zoe.

No one else, even JP, seemed to notice, as we splashed at each other. Something came over me, and I dove under the water, running my hands along Kouji’s back and pulling him under with me. When we emerged he looked sort of angry, but it faded quickly as he grabbed my shoulders and tackled me into the water as well. From his position, the only way to dunk me in the water was to dive in himself. And he did. The water pressed between our chests before his skin reached mine. The feeling was unrecognizable, like one of MetalKabuterimon’s electric shocks, as his chest rubbed along mine. Feeling brave and concealed under the water, I flicked my hand against one of his nipples. I hear the shock as a gasp escaped his lips, bubbles floating up as he pushed off the ocean floor to regain his breath. If he asked me about it, I could always blame him for tackling me in the first place.

Once I returned to the surface, I realized he wasn’t as close to me as he was before. His hair was even longer than it normally seemed, as it clung to his neck and back. It was beautiful. So beautiful it may have even compelled me to say something stupid if it wasn’t for Zoe's scream. We all raced out of the water. Without a thought, JP and I barged into the girl's dressing room. It was not our best idea, as she was still naked. She was clutching a swimsuit against her chest as she noticed them enter, but it barely covered her legs and the area between. I looked away instantly, turning in JP’s direction, who was too stupid or too over-heels to even react. A blush just painted his features before she yelled “GET OUT", and his trance was finally broken. She still managed to hit us with a few picnic baskets and hangers from around the room before we exited.

Tommy looked ready to laugh, and Kouji had his hands protectively across his chest. Maybe he knew my touch was on purpose. Once Zoe returned, she apologized for throwing things at us, but that didn’t stop her from accusing one of us of being a peeping tom. Apparently, that's why she screamed in the first place. All our eyes steadily found JP, looking at him curiously.

“What’re you all looking at me for, huh?” He questioned, raising a fist in his defense. Bokomon deadpanned.

“You must admit, it looks suspicious," Bokomon begins, “After-all, you are the most likely culprit.”

"Come one guys," Tommy reasoned from between his floaty, “it couldn’t have been JP. He was swimming with us, remember?” Obviously we forgot, Tommy.

"We all have the same alibi,” Kouji pointed out, bringing a finger to his cheek in though. The same cheek I had touched earlier with my napkin.

"Then by the process of elimination, it was no one?” Was that really the best verdict Bokomon could come up with.

"Are you calling Zoe a liar?” JP’s defense stance was back in a flash.

“Of course not JP," I tried to calm him down, "It's obvious we’re not alone here.”

“Of course we’re not alone, Einstein,” Kouji spat, “did you forget the Toucanmon?” Eh… Would faking amnesia work in this Kouji situation as well? It only took two seconds of us returning to an empty Toucan Paradise before Kouji ran out of the shack beating himself up about something. We followed him into the men’s changing room, only to find him searching through his clothes. He had his underwear in his hands, and I’m fairly certain my cheeks got hot as I imagined him wearing only those… or, slowly taking them off in preparation of other things. My mind came out of the gutter when he revealed to us what the hell he was doing. He wasn’t trying to seduce my hormones with a hint at a strip tease… the toucanmon had stolen his D-tector. All of our D-tectors.

“This is aweful," I said, after riffling through my clothes. I knew it didn’t have to be said, but sometimes saying it out-loud helps me calm down a bit inside.

"This goes beyond aweful, young man,” Bokomon scolded me, “How could you let those Toucanmon trick you like that.” I noticeably flinched. I’m not one that’s always good with confrontation… and when someone is flat out blaming me, I internalize it I guess. Kouji told Bokomon to shut up though, and that it wasn’t just my fault. They had tricked all of us. Including Mr. Never Put Your Guard Down.

We found the Toucanmon without much trouble, but without our D-tectors, retrieval was left up to a game of tag. They had stolen the D-tectors in hopes of pleasing Ranamon, and had no intention to give them up. They’re delusions of going on a date with her was even more depressing than JP's constant attempts to win Zoe’s heart.

When Ranamon chose then to appear, it was up to Zoe to stop her. Since she never made it out onto the beach, she was the only one that still had her D-tector, JP stayed behind for moral support, but Tommy, Kouji and I continued to chase the Toucanmon. We thought we had them cornered before they took flight, and with Zoe occupied, there wasn’t anything we could do to follow them.

By the time we returned, Zoe was back to human form. JP filled us in about her epic battle, and how Ranamon wasn’t any better at controlling her beast spirit than any of us were, but his enthusiasm died down when he realized none of us had the D-tectors.

“Let's set up camp.” Kouji decided with defeat, as the sun began to set. I was surprised he was the one to suggest it, since I imagined him pushing for us to go after the Toucanmon immediately. "We had a long day, and could all use a rest.” He reasoned.

"I suppose we could still use the shack as a place to rest.” JP offered.

“And maybe enjoy a little bit more of the beach before we have to relocate again. Anyone up for a walk?” Zoe asked.

"Ya, I'll go," I volunteered. I felt eyes on me again, and this time I caught Kouji staring at me before he whipped his head in the other direction. JP looked like he wanted to tag along, but the fact we’d be participating in a form of physical exercise put him off.

For the most part, Zoe and I walked in silence. Every now and then she’d find a shell she thought was pretty and add it to her collection, but my mind was on other things. Her hair was lightly blowing in the breeze, and it reminded me of someone else. What is it that made me turn into this coward. The idea that my friends won’t be my friends? The idea that he will grow to hate me if anything ever becomes of us. I know I'm not imagining the looks he sends my way. For fuck’s sake, he kissed me, and all I've wanted to do since then was kiss him again. But instead, I pretended to forget. And he played along, whether he believed me or not.

That thought hurt. What if he knew I was faking. What if he went along with it because he regretted it. What if he wanted to forget me, and that’s why, even as the most observant of the group, he had yet to figure out my charade.

“Does it hurt?” Zoe asked me suddenly. It completely caught me off guard, and I tripped on a mound of sand landing on my hands and knees. I looked up at her sheepishly before asking what she meant. Had she heard my thoughts? Did I say something out-loud? "Does it hurt," she began, “thinking so hard? With your limited brain cells I bet it could kill you." She giggled.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." I told her as I stood up, shaking the sand off of my hands and pants.

“What’cha thinking bout?" She pressed, sticking her lips out playfully.

“You’re expression when we ran into the dressing rooms.” I lied. I thought she’d get angry, but she just blushed.

"You want a repeat show?” She winked, and it was the scariest thing I think I've ever seen in my life. She took a confident stride in my direction before breaking out in laughter at her joke.

“Bitch,” I called her instinctively. She looked angry now. I just hate it when people play with my emotions like that. Man, now I sound like a teenage girl. Maybe things would be easier if you were a teenage girl, a voice inside my head teased.

“Like anyone would even want to be with you, Takuya. You're so stupid and immature.” She rolled her eyes. “I don't know why I agreed to go on this walk with you anyway. Just a waste of my time.” With one more furious glare, she turned on her heel and began walking back down the beach.

I kept going forward, curious what was right around the bend. I heard bubbles, and there was a mist I didn’t understand. Steam… Hot Springs!

I looked down the beach again. Zoe was a good distance away, not to mention that her body language, hunches over and stomping like an ogre, made it safe to assume she wasn't planning on coming back.

I took off my clothes, keeping it by the edge of the springs before all but jumping in. The water and natural bubbles felt good against my shoulder and lower back. I've been so sore from all of our walking and fighting. I tried to keep my mind off of Kouji, and the way his body had shined from the droplets of the water when we had gone swimming earlier today, but it was no use. Checking again to make sure no one was around, I reached into the water and gripped myself. I started out with just gentle squeezes, but eventually I was rubbing my hand up and down, playing my thumb across the head as I submerged myself deeper in the springs. I couldn't stop the moan from escaping my lips as I closed my eyes. The gasp from behind me, all too familiar, broke my relaxing with a jolt.

“Kouji?!" I turned around, making sure my lower body was still hidden in the water. "What are you doing here?” He said nothing… just opened and closed his mouth like a fish, which didn't help the situation since with one hand on my dick I obviously imagined him doing something more useful with those lips. With shaky breathing, he turned around, obviously heading back to the shack.

"Kouji, wait.” I demanded. To my surprise, he complied. Nervously, he turned back towards me with fear written on his face. He made sure to keep his eyes glued to mine, so I couldn't even accuse him of trying to look lower. What did I want to say to him? _Join me?_ Whatever it was I desired, it wasn’t the look of pain that flashed across his face when I asked him the stupidest question on the planet. There was no way Kouji couldn’t tell what I had been doing when he showed up, so I put up my mask. _I don’t like you like that._

“What a view in the dressing room today?" I asked him, "Zoe's pretty hot, huh?” He tensed, opening and closing his mouth again and I grew to hate myself even more.

“Sure,” his voice was barely above a whisper, "I guess.” With that, he was gone. I'd never seen him run off faster than that, even when we were pursuing the Toucanmon. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ Out of all the stupid things I could’ve said, why that?

I wasn’t in the mood anymore, so I hopped out of the springs. I didn’t bother to dry myself off, just pulled the clothes on and tried to ignore the way it clung to my skin the way Kouji’s hair had clung to his after our time in the ocean. It was uncomfortable, and cold. But I figured running would warm me up.

There was no sign of Kouji until I made it all the way back to the shack. Zoe and Tommy had made make-shift sleeping bags out of the raft and blankets, but JP and Kouji were no where to be found. I went out to the back of the shack, an area we didn’t explore, and heard it then. Sobs. Loud sobs. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Never did I even consider it possible for Kouji to cry. I hid behind one of the walls until I couldn’t take it anymore. Right when I was about to step forward and try to comfort him, I heard JP’s voice.

“Hey, you ok, bud?” He asked. Kouji’s breathing changed as he tried to calm himself down.

“It’s nothing,” he lied through hiccuped tears.

“I know we aren’t always on the best terms," JP started, “but you know, if you ever need to talk, we’re here for you.” There was a long silence, and then the sound of shuffling. His shadow got smaller, and I think he was sitting down next to Kouji now.

“Sometimes," Kouji’s voice was so fragile, I couldn’t even believe it was him speaking. "I feel worthless.” The words knocked the wind out of me.

“Don’t say that,” JP prodded, “We’ll get our D-tectors back just like how we got Zoe’s. You’ll be back to super hero status in no time.” I could hear Kouji’s smile as he thanked JP for the support, but I know that what Kouji was talking about wasn’t his D-tector. I’m a horrible person. Immature and stupid. _Who would want to be with me anyway?_ Kouji deserves better.


End file.
